9 Best Herbs To Clean Your Kidneys
Our kidneys are probably best recognized for filtering blood and producing liquid waste in the form of urine. Cleansing is their job, and they tackle pretty much everything we put in our bodies to pull out the bad stuff. That process is one of the most important contributors to health. But how do kidneys themselves stay healthy?
Overtaxed kidneys are prone to diseases like renal failure or kidney cancer, and no one wants that! Since cleansing is their prime directive, kidneys don’t necessarily need a specific “detox” protocol. But they are grateful for a little help in doing their job. Eating lots of certain herbs and drinking enough water are the easiest and most effective ways to keep your kidneys happy.
Following are 9 herbs that healthy kidneys love, but note that they are not recommended for people who already have kidney disease. That’s because they may interfere with common kidney medications. But if you’re generally healthy and want to keep it that way, go ahead and add one or more of these tasty herbs to your diet on a daily basis.
We bet you never thought of eating #9, but you should!
1. Garlic
Garlic contains an active ingredient called allicin, which is good for you in a lot of ways. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties. This helps your kidneys to filter harmful invaders from your blood. Garlic is also a mild diuretic, which means that it can increase the volume of your urine and thereby eliminate excess sodium from the body.
Regular consumption of garlic has also been found to reduce the concentration of cadmium and lead in your kidneys, blood stream, heart, liver, and spleen. Get lots of healthy allicin from onions, too.
2. Turmeric
If you love curry, you are already familiar with turmeric. It’s the distinctive herb that gives curry its color and flavor. Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which is stellar at reducing the effects of inflammatory enzymes that can cause chronic kidney disease. More than that, curcumin can prevent the growth of many types of harmful microbe, which relieves strain on the kidneys.
However, if you already have kidney disease, you will likely be advised to limit your intake of turmeric. It also contains a good amount of potassium, which diseased kidneys struggle to keep in balance.
3. Ginger
One way to support the health of your kidneys is to avoid consuming excess sugar. Chronically high blood sugar is very damaging to kidneys.
Getting a lot of ginger in your diet is a great method of controlling blood sugar due to a compound called gingerol, which can actually reduce the risk that an otherwise healthy person will develop diabetes. Gingerol also helps support healthy digestion and can reduce inflammation (and therefore pain) all over your body.
4. Juniper Berries
Juniper berries are a powerful diuretic, so they stimulate your kidneys by increasing the body’s volume of urine. This helps flush out excess fluids as well as uric acid. That is important because uric acid can form a particular kind of very painful kidney stone.
Dried or powdered juniper berries are typically taken in the form of a tea, tincture, or supplement.
5. Dandelion Root
Turns out, those spring and summertime invaders of your yard are more than just weeds. Dandelion leaves are edible either cooked or raw, but it’s the roots that really help your kidneys. Dandelion root has been used extensively to treat kidney and liver disorders, but it can also benefit jaundice, anemia, and acne, as well as soothe irritation in the urinary tract.
To get your dandelion on, simmer the roots gently for 15 minutes and then strain and drink the tea. You can’t find a more affordable supplement for kidney health!
6. Parsley
Parsley is typically used as a garnish, which may strike some people as a useless bit of pomposity. But actually, just that little bit of parsley sprinkled on top of dinner, or chewed afterwards (parsley is also a great breath freshener), can cleanse toxins from your kidneys. The reason is two compounds called apiol and myristicin, natural diuretics that can reduce your risk of kidney stones.
Parsley also lowers blood sugar, which is great for healthy people but not recommended for those with diabetes or existing kidney disease. Parsley can interfere with medications prescribed by your doctor for those conditions.
7. Celery Root
Our kidneys rely on a balance of potassium and sodium to do their work, and celery contains both. Unsurprisingly, it also contains a lot of water, which increases urine output and clears away toxins. Some studies indicate that celery may also prevent bacterial infections in your kidneys and urinary tract.
We recommend talking with your doctor about celery if you have existing kidney disease, but it should be relatively safe as long as you aren’t getting a lot of potassium elsewhere. One large stalk of celery only contains about 4% of the RDI for most people.
8. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a sweet and spicy bark that adds zest to many dishes. It can also help to regulate the body’s glucose levels. Eating cinnamon frequently offers protection from metabolic disorders, including diabetes, and also protects the kidneys from damage due to chronic high blood sugar. Another risk factor for kidney disease is heart disease, and cinnamon is thought to protect against this, too.
However, cinnamon also contains a compound called coumarin, which can cause liver damage in high amounts. You’d need to eat more than a teaspoon of cinnamon a day to reach dangerous levels, which is actually tough to do. Cinnamon is a powerful flavor and you don’t need much.
9. Corn Silk
Those silky fibers at the tops of ears of corn can be a total nuisance when you are trying to enjoy the corn itself. But corn silk is actually really good for you! It supports kidney and urinary tract health because it works to maintain optimal calcium and fluid levels. Too much calcium floating around in the bloodstream leads to another common form of kidney stones.
Corn silk has recently been found to improve renal function in rats. It is also frequently recommended for bladder infections, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Most people make tea with corn silk, or chop it very finely before adding it to dishes.
Conclusion
If you incorporate these 9 herbs into your diet when your kidneys are healthy, they can do wonders to keep those powerful little organs thriving. This is an easy and affordable preventative measure (especially when we’re talking about dandelion root). But remember that too much of anything is not healthy, and once you have been diagnosed with kidney disease, these herbs tend to do the opposite of what you need.
We recommend incorporating one or two of the herbs into your diet on a daily basis, and rotate through them. Rather than go crazy with a powerful supplement formula, just eat these herbs in their natural form, with the potency prescribed by nature. The items we have described here represent a range of flavors, including spicy, bitter, sweet, and bland, to cater to the tastes of just about anyone.
Overtaxed kidneys are prone to diseases like renal failure or kidney cancer, and no one wants that! Since cleansing is their prime directive, kidneys don’t necessarily need a specific “detox” protocol. But they are grateful for a little help in doing their job. Eating lots of certain herbs and drinking enough water are the easiest and most effective ways to keep your kidneys happy.
Following are 9 herbs that healthy kidneys love, but note that they are not recommended for people who already have kidney disease. That’s because they may interfere with common kidney medications. But if you’re generally healthy and want to keep it that way, go ahead and add one or more of these tasty herbs to your diet on a daily basis.
We bet you never thought of eating #9, but you should!
1. Garlic
Garlic contains an active ingredient called allicin, which is good for you in a lot of ways. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties. This helps your kidneys to filter harmful invaders from your blood. Garlic is also a mild diuretic, which means that it can increase the volume of your urine and thereby eliminate excess sodium from the body.
Regular consumption of garlic has also been found to reduce the concentration of cadmium and lead in your kidneys, blood stream, heart, liver, and spleen. Get lots of healthy allicin from onions, too.
2. Turmeric
If you love curry, you are already familiar with turmeric. It’s the distinctive herb that gives curry its color and flavor. Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, which is stellar at reducing the effects of inflammatory enzymes that can cause chronic kidney disease. More than that, curcumin can prevent the growth of many types of harmful microbe, which relieves strain on the kidneys.
However, if you already have kidney disease, you will likely be advised to limit your intake of turmeric. It also contains a good amount of potassium, which diseased kidneys struggle to keep in balance.
3. Ginger
One way to support the health of your kidneys is to avoid consuming excess sugar. Chronically high blood sugar is very damaging to kidneys.
Getting a lot of ginger in your diet is a great method of controlling blood sugar due to a compound called gingerol, which can actually reduce the risk that an otherwise healthy person will develop diabetes. Gingerol also helps support healthy digestion and can reduce inflammation (and therefore pain) all over your body.
4. Juniper Berries
Juniper berries are a powerful diuretic, so they stimulate your kidneys by increasing the body’s volume of urine. This helps flush out excess fluids as well as uric acid. That is important because uric acid can form a particular kind of very painful kidney stone.
Dried or powdered juniper berries are typically taken in the form of a tea, tincture, or supplement.
5. Dandelion Root
Turns out, those spring and summertime invaders of your yard are more than just weeds. Dandelion leaves are edible either cooked or raw, but it’s the roots that really help your kidneys. Dandelion root has been used extensively to treat kidney and liver disorders, but it can also benefit jaundice, anemia, and acne, as well as soothe irritation in the urinary tract.
To get your dandelion on, simmer the roots gently for 15 minutes and then strain and drink the tea. You can’t find a more affordable supplement for kidney health!
6. Parsley
Parsley is typically used as a garnish, which may strike some people as a useless bit of pomposity. But actually, just that little bit of parsley sprinkled on top of dinner, or chewed afterwards (parsley is also a great breath freshener), can cleanse toxins from your kidneys. The reason is two compounds called apiol and myristicin, natural diuretics that can reduce your risk of kidney stones.
Parsley also lowers blood sugar, which is great for healthy people but not recommended for those with diabetes or existing kidney disease. Parsley can interfere with medications prescribed by your doctor for those conditions.
7. Celery Root
Our kidneys rely on a balance of potassium and sodium to do their work, and celery contains both. Unsurprisingly, it also contains a lot of water, which increases urine output and clears away toxins. Some studies indicate that celery may also prevent bacterial infections in your kidneys and urinary tract.
We recommend talking with your doctor about celery if you have existing kidney disease, but it should be relatively safe as long as you aren’t getting a lot of potassium elsewhere. One large stalk of celery only contains about 4% of the RDI for most people.
8. Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a sweet and spicy bark that adds zest to many dishes. It can also help to regulate the body’s glucose levels. Eating cinnamon frequently offers protection from metabolic disorders, including diabetes, and also protects the kidneys from damage due to chronic high blood sugar. Another risk factor for kidney disease is heart disease, and cinnamon is thought to protect against this, too.
However, cinnamon also contains a compound called coumarin, which can cause liver damage in high amounts. You’d need to eat more than a teaspoon of cinnamon a day to reach dangerous levels, which is actually tough to do. Cinnamon is a powerful flavor and you don’t need much.
9. Corn Silk
Those silky fibers at the tops of ears of corn can be a total nuisance when you are trying to enjoy the corn itself. But corn silk is actually really good for you! It supports kidney and urinary tract health because it works to maintain optimal calcium and fluid levels. Too much calcium floating around in the bloodstream leads to another common form of kidney stones.
Corn silk has recently been found to improve renal function in rats. It is also frequently recommended for bladder infections, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Most people make tea with corn silk, or chop it very finely before adding it to dishes.
Conclusion
If you incorporate these 9 herbs into your diet when your kidneys are healthy, they can do wonders to keep those powerful little organs thriving. This is an easy and affordable preventative measure (especially when we’re talking about dandelion root). But remember that too much of anything is not healthy, and once you have been diagnosed with kidney disease, these herbs tend to do the opposite of what you need.
We recommend incorporating one or two of the herbs into your diet on a daily basis, and rotate through them. Rather than go crazy with a powerful supplement formula, just eat these herbs in their natural form, with the potency prescribed by nature. The items we have described here represent a range of flavors, including spicy, bitter, sweet, and bland, to cater to the tastes of just about anyone.