Kidney stones or renal calculi are one of the most common and painful disorders of the urinary tract. Kidney stones can form due to the deposition of minerals and acid salts such as phosphorus, oxalic acid, calcium and uric acid found in the urine. Normally urine helps to dilute these minerals and acid salts thereby preventing the formation of stones. When urine fails to dissolve these chemicals, they get solidify and form small stones.
Top 10 Home Remedies for Kidney Stones:
People suffering from kidney stones experience severe pain while passing urine. Generally tiny stones can pass through the urine without any difficulty but larger stones can cause severe pain if they get stuck to ureters while passing through the kidney.
Listed below are top 10 home remedies for Kidney stones:
- Drink Plenty of Water: It is recommended that drinking 4 litres of water can help to keep your body well hydrated and your kidneys in good shape. Water can also help to dissolve the minerals and acid salt deposits in the urine. This prevents the formation of kidney stones.
- Juice of Kidney Beans: Kidney beans are effective in treating overall kidney problems including kidney stones. Separate beans from the pods. Slice the pods and gently boil them in 4 litres of water for about 6 hours. Using a fine muslin cloth strain the liquid and allow it to cool for about 8 hours. Again strain the liquid using another piece of muslin cloth without stirring the mixture. You can take a glass of this fluid every 2 hours throughout the day, several times during the week.
- Basil Juice: Experts suggest that drinking a teaspoon of basil juice mixed with a teaspoon of honey once daily for 6 months can help in removing kidney stones.
- Drink Apple Juice: Drinking apple juice everyday can help in breaking down the minerals and acid salts thereby helping them to pass more easily through the urine thereby treating kidney stones.
- Eating Celery: Experts recommend that regular intake of celery can help those who are at a risk of developing kidney stones in the future.
- Eating Watermelon: Among all fruits, watermelon is considered to have the highest water content and it is also a rich source of potassium. Being a diuretic, it can help in flushing out stones from the kidneys.
- Avoid Certain Foods: You can avoid cutting down on foods such as pickles, alcoholic beverages, condiments, etc. that can cause irritation to the kidneys. In addition, try to cut down on foods that can increase acidity in the urine such as fish, poultry, meat, etc.
- Nettle leaf: You can add 1-2 tablespoon of dried nettle leaves in 1 cup of hot water and boil it for few minutes. Drinking 2-3 cups of nettle leaf tea every day can help in preventing the formation of kidney stones.
- Bran Flakes: Bran flakes are rich in fibre. This can help in removing oxalate and calcium in your urine thereby reducing the risk of developing kidney stones.
- Regular Exercise: Exercising regularly can help in easy transport of calcium from the blood stream into the bones. This can help in 2 ways – reducing the risk of kidney stones and making the bones stronger.
Though kidney stones are painful they usually do not cause any permanent damage. Often a healthy lifestyle and including few dietary changes can help with kidney stones. If these do not give the desired result, you can consult your doctor.
