Diuretics are substances that promote increased urine production and decrease the amount of water your body stores. Diuretic medications are used in the management of high blood pressure, and herbal medicine offers a variety of herbs with diuretic properties. Consult with your doctor before using herbs to treat high blood pressure.
Water Content
Vegetables with particularly high water content provide a mild diuretic effect, says registered dietitian Susan Mitchell, Ph.D. and author of the book "Fat Is Not Your Fate: Outsmart Your Genes and Lose the Weight Forever." Consuming these vegetables might allow you to decrease or eliminate diuretic medication. Their natural fiber content, including soluble fiber that is included when you consume them as juices, decreases appetite through slow stomach emptying. Mitchell mentions asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and celery as providing substantial diuretic effects.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers and watercress are notable diuretic vegetables, according to Susan Kleiner, author of the book "Power Eating." Eat a serving of these daily and particularly if water retention is a concern for you. Kleiner cautions that use of diuretic drugs should be avoided where possible, as they encourage loss of important electrolytes and can lead to serious electrolyte imbalances. In addition to consuming diuretic vegetables, prevent fluid retention by reducing sodium in your diet. Avoid processed foods, many of which have exceedingly high sodium levels. Read labels on canned goods and choose only those with low sodium content.
Asparagus
Asparagus' diuretic benefits did not merit replacing medications in patients with high blood pressure, according to a study published in the September 2009 issue of the journal "Phytotherapy Research." In the six-week clinical trial, 163 participants with hypertension took maximal tolerable amounts of a commercial preparation of asparagus root and parsley leaf. Adverse side effects involving kidney problems occurred in seven of the volunteers. Researchers concluded that the vegetable supplement is not advisable for use in hypertension or in people with kidney inflammation or kidney stones due to risk of harmful side effects in these conditions.
Parsley
Parsley showed a direct diuretic effect by inhibiting sodium absorption in the kidneys, in a study on laboratory animals that appeared in the March 2002 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." Study animals produced higher volumes of urine after drinking a juice made from parsley seed extract. In another study by the same researchers, parsley was found to have a laxative effect by inhibiting sodium and water absorption by the colon, in a study conducted at the Department of Biology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon and published in the September 2001 issue of the journal "Phytomedicine." The result is higher water content in the colon and lower water content in the bloodstream.
References
- "Fat Is Not Your Fate: Outsmart Your Genes and Lose the Weight Forever"; Susan Mitchell; 2005
- Power Eating"; Susan M. Kleiner; 2007
- "Phytotherapy Research"; Asparagus P(R) Cannot Compete with First-line Diuretics in Lowering the Blood Pressure in Treatment-requiring Antihypertensives; S. Chrubasik, et al.; September 2009
- "Phytomedicine"; The Mechanism Underlying the Laxative Properties of Parsley Extract; S.Kreydiyyeh, et al.; September 2001
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Diuretic Effect and Mechanism of Action of Parsley; S.Kreydiyyeh, et al.; March 2002
- The Free Medical Dictionary: Diuretics
