Kidney Stones

(Note: I am deleting an old homeschool blog of mine and decided that this is the only post I want to save from it.)

I am often looking up natural remedies for my friends. Recently I found myself looking up information on natural treatment and prevention of kidney stones. I decided that when I look things up for people I will make a report up and use it for my blog. I love learning and this is my “Home School on the Range.”

Kidney stones are solid pieces of material (or mass) found in urine. Not all kidney stones are alike. They can be made up of different types of matter.

The most common type of kidney stone starts as excess calcium. Calcium that is not used by the bones and muscles is found in the kidneys. Now, most people’s system just flushes this calcium from their body. However, in some people the calcium stays in their kidneys and other waste products join with it to form a stone. One common combination is called calcium oxalate.

An infection in the urinary system can cause struvite stones containing magnesium (a mineral) and ammonia (a waste product). When your urine contains too much acid a uric acid stone is more likely to form.

The rarest stone is the cystine stone.  These stones are caused by a genetic disease called Cystinuria. Cystinuria causes one of the building blocks of protein (an amino acid) that make up our nerves, muscles, and other body matter to build up in the urine and form a stone. This is a kidney stone that is not addressed in this report.

Kidney stones vary in size from as tiny as a grain of sand to as large as a pearl. Some have been found to be as big as golf balls. They are not uniform in size. Stones can be jagged or smooth and are often a yellow or brown in color.

When a stone starts to move from the kidney down through the tubes that empty urine into the bladder (ureters) it can block the flow of urine out of the kidneys. This causes the kidney(s) to swell and cause severe pain.

(Note: The above information was found on many websites found through a general Google search.)

There are many natural things that you can try to prevent or dissolve kidney stones. I am not a medical professional and look into natural treatments on my own. I am not paid for this information and am not responsible for what you do with the following information. If you decide to try anything listed below I advise you to tell your medical practitioner. This is up to you to do.

Prevention

The most interesting thing that I found is that drinking water cuts down the occurrence¹ of kidney stones by 2%, tea cuts the occurrence by 8%, and a daily cup or two of coffee reduces risk by 10%.² Remember that coffee can cause jitters, irritability, insomnia and addiction.³

Horsetail, a plant with reed-like shoots, has also been suggested as a treatment for kidney stones.³ Use as a decoction, tincture, or powder internally (I may post on how to do those at a later time).⁴

Nettle leaf is a great herb used for many things and it seems it helps prevent the formation of kidney stones as well.  Nettle can be used in conjunction with Horsetail, as well as Marshmallow (the plant, not the food) and Cornsilk.⁵ Try a tincture or an infusion.

Lastly, I find that pumpkin seed is recommended for the prevention of stones.^3  6 Commision E (Germany’s version of a natural FDA) recommends 10 grams of pumpkin seeds a day. That is approximately one-third of an ounce, or a handful a day. You can also take the seed oil in a dose of 480 milligrams per day.⁶

One recommendation I found is to reduce your intake of the types of food that may add to your type of kidney stone. If you generally get uric acid stones then you may want to eat less meat, which breaks down to make uric acid. If you are prone to calcium oxalate stones you may want to limit foods high in oxalate, such as beets, spinach, chocolate, rhubarb, bran, peanuts, strawberries and more⁷. Look up food high in oxalate for more foods high in oxalates. You should also reduce your intakes of soft drinks.¹

Treatments: Nutrients

Calcium, Magnesium (200-300 mg taken with meals), vitamin B6 (50-100 mg daily), Glucosamine sulfate and Chrondroitin sulfate may help reduce the risk of kidney stones.¹ You may think that calcium would make the stones more likely to occur. I do not understand the whole concept yet, but it seems to be along the lines of the homeopathic thinking of like treats like.

Treatment

Try one-half of a fresh lemon in 8 ounces of water every one-half hour to hour until pain subsides. Add in 1,000 mg of Vitamin C per hour. (Preventative: Drink one-half of a lemon in a glass of warm water first thing every morning.)⁸ Doing this along with certain kidney combinations (in Treatment: Herbs) should take somewhere between 5-14 hours to dissolve the stone(s).

Treatment: Kidney Combinations ⁹

There are two recommended herbal Kidney Combinations you could try as a decoction or infusion (both drank like a tea).

Combination 1

Juniper Berries, Parsley, Uva Ursi leaves, Dandelion Root and Chamomile

Combination 2

Juniper Berries, Parsley, Uva Ursi, Marshmallow, Lobelia, Ginger, Goldenseal

Both combinations act as diuretics, helping to cleanse, heal and normalize the kidneys, as well as dissolve kidney stones.

Treatment: Herbs

This is a list of herbs that have been helpful in treating kidney stones.

Birch Bark (Infusion, Decoction, Tincture) ¹⁰

Burdock (Decoction, Tincture) ¹¹

Corn silk (Infusion, Tincture) ¹²

Dandelion (Decoction) ¹³

Gravel Root (Decoction, Powder, Tincture) ¹⁴

Marshmallow (Infusion, Decoction, Tincture) ¹⁵

Nettle Leaf (Infusion, Tincture) ⁵

Wild Carrot ¹⁶

Bilberry ¹⁶

Goldenrod ¹⁶

Bearberry ¹⁶

Chamomile ¹⁶

Couch Grass ¹⁶

Passion Flower Herb ¹⁶

Echinacea ¹⁷

Licorice Root ¹⁷

Parsley ¹⁷

Uva Ursi ¹⁷

Yarrow ¹⁷

Red Raspberry Leaf ¹⁷

Cayenne ¹⁷

Aloe Vera (Juice) ¹⁷

Footnotes

 ¹The Natural Pharmacy by Skye Lininger, D.C. (Editor in Chief), Jonathan Wright, M.D., Steve Austin, M.D., Donald Brown, N.D., Alan Gaby, M.D.; page 84

²The New Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman; page 168

³ The New Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman; page 507

⁴ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 187

⁵ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 225

⁶The New Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman; page 380

⁷The Natural Pharmacy by Skye Lininger, D.C. (Editor in Chief), Jonathan Wright, M.D., Steve Austin, M.D., Donald Brown, N.D., Alan Gaby, M.D.; page 83

⁸The How to Herb Book by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon; page 216

⁹The How to Herb Book by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon; page 84

¹⁰ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 93

¹¹ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 112

¹² Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 137

¹³ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 140

¹⁴ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 170

¹⁵ Practical Herbalism by Philip Ftitchey, MH, ND, CNHP; page 212

¹⁶ The Complete Herbal Tutor by Anne McIntyre; page 206

¹⁷The How to Herb Book by Velma J. Keith and Monteen Gordon; page 215