Many kidney stones pass without a doctor's help, but that doesn't mean they won't cause pain in the meantime. You may be tempted to try an herbal remedy to hurry things along or to prevent new stones from forming. One herb sometimes recommended for this purpose is ginkgo biloba. Consult your healthcare provider before trying this purported remedy for kidney stones.
Significance
Ginkgo biloba is sometimes used in Chinese medicine to treat kidney stones, kidney infections and other urinary tract problems. However, the National Institutes of Health does not provide an effectiveness rating for using ginkgo biloba to treat urinary problems because not enough scientific evidence exists to rate the herb for this purpose, according to MedlinePlus.
Primary Uses
Treating kidney stones is not a primary way in which to use ginkgo, according to "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide." This herb is approved by Commission E, Germany's regulatory body for herbs, for treating organic brain dysfunction, calf pain called intermittent claudication, and vertigo and ringing in the ears caused by vascular problems. It's also traditionally used to improve memory and concentration deficits that are due to peripheral artery disease, as an anti-inflammatory, and to treat headaches, asthma, angina, dizziness and tonsillitis.
Common Remedies
Alternative medicine is not effective for treating kidney stones that have already formed, reports MayoClinic.com. However, it may help you avoid new stones. Ginkgo is not among the commonly recommended remedies for this purpose, which include drinking a cup of green or black tea daily and consuming citrus juices. Typical treatment for existing stones is to increase your fluid intake and to use over-the-counter pain relievers, notes MayoClinic.com.
Considerations
If you decide to try ginkgo biloba to treat or prevent kidney stones, talk to your doctor first. Because ginkgo biloba has blood-thinning properties, it may increase your risk for bleeding or bruising, especially if you take blood-thinning medicines or other herbs with blood-thinning properties, such as white willow. It also can reduce the effectiveness of some blood-pressure medicines, and it may increase the risk for seizures when taken with numerous medicines, such as acetazolamide, bupropion, lorazepam, topiramate and tramadol. It can disrupt blood-sugar control when combined with other medication, such as insulin or acarbose. It can increase the effect of certain drugs, including iproniazid, moclobemide, phenelzine, selegiline and tranylcypromine. It's dangerous to use ginkgo along with fluoxetine, papaverine and nifedipine, according to "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide." Consuming ginkgo leaf extract is possibly safe if you are healthy and drug interactions don't exist, but ingesting fresh or roasted ginkgo seeds is unsafe, cautions MedlinePlus. Don't use it in any form if you have ever had a seizure or are trying to get pregnant.
References
- Nutraceutical.com; Ginkgo Biloba; 1996
- MedlinePlus: Ginkgo Biloba
- "The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide"; George T. Grossberg and Barry Fox; 2007
- National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse; What I Need to Know About Kidney Stones; April 2007
- "Phytomedicine"; Ginkgo Biloba Extract Protects Rat Kidney from Diabetic and Hypoxic Damage; K. Welt, et al.; February 2007
- MayoClnic.com; Kidney Stones: Alternative Medicine; January 2010
