This post is for you, if you are experiencing kidney problems. The prevalence of diagnosed kidney disease is very high – up to 20% in some populations. The incidence of undiagnosed reduced kidney function is much higher. The kidney is very similar to the liver – you can lose up to 90% of kidney function without noticing any worrisome symptoms, at which point it can be very hard to reverse the disease, although it can still be done, as you will learn. Herbal remedies tend to work well for improving kidney function and many different plants can boost glomerular filtration rate. They can do this by being a simple diuretic, so that more blood is forced through the kidneys, or they can act on gene expression, enabling your body to repair the nephrons on it’s own. Diuretics do help the kidneys filter toxins from the blood, and one study even shows regular alcohol use reduces the risk of kidney disease. Although alcohol is a toxin, it is also a diuretic.
In this post, you will discover some herbs that will help improve kidney function, mainly by increasing the amount of urine the kidneys produce.
Here are a few herbs that are helpful in improving kidney function:
Celery Root
Celery root is a well-known diuretic. It increases the amount of blood plasma passed through the kidneys and therefore can speed up kidney function enough to lower the waste products accumulated in the blood, like creatinine. Celery root can be juiced, eaten in a soup or in any way you prefer. It’s a common addition to soups, including chicken soup. Remember to go easy on the salt, as soups often contain high amount of it. Although salt is not the biggest problem for the kidneys, too much of it can still impair kidney function slightly. Celery root also contains potassium, which is essential for proper kidney functioning.
Kidney-Cleansing Celery Juice Recipe
Juice a large celery root head and two cucumbers, drink on an empty stomach in the morning. This juice has a strong diuretic effect and will cleanse your kidneys
Dandelion root
Although not among the best tasting vegetables, the root of the dandelion flower has been shown to improve kidney function and is also a natural diuretic. It can be gotten as a supplement in a powdered form, you can find it in the wild, or you can purchase it dried to make tea from it.
Parsley
Parsley, just like all leafy vegetables is good for a variety of ailments. It’s a strong diuretic and contains a very high amount of plant antioxidants and phytonutrients. Drinking a shot of parsley juice with every meal will help improve kidney function and boost GFR. Parsley juice is not very well tolerated on an empty stomach and you might experience some temporary nausea and stomach upset, lasting an hour or two. This is because of the strong detoxifying effect of the parsley. Combined with food, it is absorbed much slower, preventing the minor side effects.
Stinging Nettle
Stinging nettle contains variety of active substances. It has been shown to improve kidney function, boost testosterone and have positive effects on many hormones. It cannot be eaten raw, but it is easily prepared. Simply boil the raw nettle leaves in some water for a few minutes, blend the whole thing and drink it. Dry nettle can be powdered and consumed in a variety of ways. There are nettle supplements available, containing the dry powder.
How to Restore Kidney Function Through Diet if You Have Kidney Disease?
If you’re looking for a holistic approach to completely normalize kidney function, many people have had success with the strategy, described in this comprehensive e-book. It involves very specific dietary and lifestyle tweaks, that enable your body to re-vitalize non-functioning nephrons in the kidneys, normalizing their function. This approach is also very helpful for people who aren’t necessarily diagnosed with kidney disease, as a prophylactic measure, as kidney function falls continuously as you age, even if you are still in the normal range of creatinine and GFR, due to the reduced number of well-functioning nephron tubes.
If you decide to use this approach and are on medication, monitor your kidney function regularly – many people keep taking strong diuretics or other medication because they don’t realize their kidney function has become normal. As a result, the kidneys now start working “too well”, leading to a higher than necessary excretion of magnesium, sodium and other minerals. This can manifest as leg cramps, constant thirst or other similar and minor symptoms, that will disappear once you either stop taking diuretics, or start supplementing with magnesium and eating potassium-rich foods.
Eat legumes, but avoid grains to prevent damaging blood-sugar spikes
The low-meat and low-salt diet that is often recommended for people with kidney problems is helpful, but there is one thing that will damage the kidneys more than anything – blood sugar spikes. Fructose also exhibits slight toxicity to the kidneys, so make sure to reduce sweet fruit consumption. A good food that will reduce blood sugar spikes is lentils, or any type of legume. In fact, legume consumption has been shown to be an important dietary factor for all-cause mortality. Generally, the more more often you eat legumes, the better your health is. High blood sugar and diabetes are the highest risk factors for kidney damage and legumes produce something called propionate in the large intestine. This reduces blood sugar spices up to 48 hours after legumes have been eaten.
Whole grains are often to be avoided – if you have a blood sugar monitor, you can quickly discover that they raise your blood sugar just as much as white grains. Drinking apple cider vinegar along with high-carbohydrate meals will help reduce the damage they do and this alone may reduce creatinine levels.
Since muscle tension increases creatinine, which puts a load on the kidneys, relaxation methods, such as meditation are very helpful when incorporated in a holistic treatment program.
Magnesium to Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure and high blood sugar are the two biggest damaging factors to the kidneys. Magnesium can lower both. Low magnesium intake is epidemic and the magnesium content of foods has been steadily decreasing during the past 50 or so years. Supplements are cheap and effective. Magnesium sulfate and chloride are good forms of magnesium to take. Since diuretics increase the excretion of magnesium several-fold, it’s always helpful to supplement with 200-300mg of magnesium per day.
Posted on July 10th, 2017