Your kidneys perform life-sustaining functions, not the least of which is to filter excess water and wastes from your blood, according to the National Kidney Foundation. These vital organs also help regulate blood pressure and manage the production of red blood cells. Some herbs are suggested to promote kidney health and ward off potential disease and problems like kidney stones. Always check with your doctor before using herbs for medicinal purposes.
Dandelion
Dandelion is often regarded as a natural diuretic that may promote kidney health. Dandelion leaves traditionally have been used to increase urine production and excretion, according to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH.
Scant scientific evidence exists, however, to confirm that dandelion can improve kidney function. Patients with kidney failure are advised to use dandelion cautiously, the NIH notes. Ask your doctor about taking dandelion to support kidney health.
Horsetail
The horsetail plant appears to increase urine production and is purported to treat kidney disease and help eliminate kidney stones, notes Intelihealth.
People who are sensitive to nicotine, however, should not take horsetail. It may cause an allergic reaction in some people. Symptoms may including itching, breathing problems, or breaking out in a rash. Check with your doctor before taking horsetail for kidney health.
Grape Seed
Grapes have been used traditionally to treat a variety of health conditions, including cancer, smallpox and liver and kidney diseases, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Chemicals contained in grapes, including oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, are said to be powerful antioxidants. Discuss using grape seed for medicinal purposes with your healthcare provider.
Green Tea
Drinking a cup of green tea every day may lower your risk of developing kidney stones, according to the Mayo Clinic. Kidney stones are hard deposits composed of mineral and acid salt. A Japanese study published in January 2005 in the Journal of Urology concluded that the antioxidants contained in green tea may help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
Citrus Juices
Drinking orange or lemon juice may help prevent the formation of kidney stones, the Mayo Clinic states. Citric acid levels contained in theses juices may reduce calcium levels in urine, thereby discouraging calcium kidney stones. No studies have been conducted, however, to confirm that citrus juice can lower the risk of the stones.
