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Are you looking to shed water weight on your body or keep kidney stones at bay?
Including a few servings of natural diuretics in your diet may be necessary.
These healthy foods have many benefits, from lowering blood pressure to inflammation, and can help avoid many of the troublesome symptoms that often accompany over-the-counter medications.
So what are natural diuretics, what do they do, and why should you consider adding them to your daily routine?
What is a diuretic?
Diuretics are a class of medications that promote diuresis or increased urine output.
Also sometimes called water pills, these drugs are used to remove excess water from the body and treat heart failure, liver disease, and high blood pressure.
But although it is often necessary to treat several different health problems, diuretics can be accompanied by several side effects such as high blood sugar levels, headaches, and dizziness.
This causes many people to turn to natural diuretics as an alternative treatment method.
What is a natural diuretic?
Natural diuretics are prepared from herbs or other food products intended to prevent the accumulation of fluids in the body and reduce inflammation.
These powerful herbs, supplements, and foods can mimic the effects of diuretics to increase urine volume and eliminate extra fluids.
Additionally, in addition to preventing fluid build-up, many also provide several health benefits, as well as a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to optimize other aspects of health as well.
Swapping your over-the-counter (OTC) diuretic for a few natural options can profoundly impact your health.
The following are some of the top natural diuretic food, herb, and supplement options and how you can add them to your diet to take advantage of the myriad of health benefits they offer.
19 Natural diuretics
Natural diuretic herbs and foods
- Green tea.
- Black tea.
- Parsley.
- Dandelion.
- Hibiscus.
- Haw.
- Horsetail.
- Juniper berry.
- Celery.
- Lemons.
- Peppers.
- She.
- Onions.
- Watermelon.
- Cucumber.
- Grapes.
- Ginger.
- Berries
- Asparagus.
6 Benefits of diuretics
Here is a list of the six most important benefits of natural diuretics:
- They lower blood pressure.
- They reduce swelling.
- They promote proper filtration.
- They can prevent kidney stones.
- They treat ascites.
- PCOS symptoms decrease.
Lower blood pressure
High blood pressure is a condition that occurs when blood pushes against the walls of the arteries too hard, putting extra pressure on the heart muscle and weakening it over time.
Diuretics are one of the first lines of defense used against high blood pressure and can help excrete extra sodium through urine to lower blood pressure.
Using natural diuretics for high blood pressure can also be an effective treatment option. Several natural diuretics have been linked to lower blood pressure levels.
A massive analysis of 13 studies, for example, found that green tea was capable of lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Another review found that several herbs have been shown to have substantial blood pressure-lowering properties, including hibiscus and ginger.
Reduce swelling
Fluid retention, also known as edema, is a common condition characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the tissues, leading to symptoms such as swelling, swelling, and swelling.
Incorporating a few servings of natural diuretic foods for water retention is an easy and effective way to lose weight and prevent bloating.
Watermelon, for example, is an excellent natural diuretic for edema, thanks to its high water content. Eating plenty of natural hydrating and diuretic foods like fruits and vegetables can remove excess water and prevent fluid from building up in the body.
Promote proper filtration
Your kidneys play a vital role in your health; They are responsible for filtering your blood and excreting toxins and waste products through your urine to keep your body healthy.
Natural diuretics can help promote proper filtration to optimize kidney function and maximize overall health.
For people with kidney failure, this can be especially beneficial. When your kidneys are not working correctly, certain minerals like potassium and magnesium can build up in the blood and cause health problems.
High potassium levels, for example, can cause symptoms such as weakness, chest pain, and irregular heartbeats. Excess fluid can also build up in the body with kidney failure, leading to bloating and water weight gain.
Diuretics are commonly used to remove excess water and prevent electrolyte imbalances from improving kidney function.
They can prevent kidney stones.
If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, you’re probably very familiar with how painful it can be. Kidney stones are hard mineral deposits that form in the kidneys and cause symptoms such as:
- Pain.
- Sickness.
- Vomiting
- Blood in the urine.
Increasing your fluid intake is often recommended to flush out the kidneys and aid in the excretion of kidney stones. Similarly, diuretics are also sometimes used to help prevent kidney stone formation.
Certain natural diuretic foods can also do double duty in helping prevent kidney stone symptoms.
Lemons, for example, can help promote hydration and provide a burst of citric acid, which increases urine volume to block kidney stone formation.
A study conducted on this topic found that treating patients with lemonade therapy for four years could reduce stone formation from an average of one kidney stone per year to 0.13 per year.
Treat ascites
Similar to edema, ascites are the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, which is the layer of tissues that lines the abdomen and helps protect the internal organs of the body.
This condition is usually caused by liver disease or cirrhosis, scarring the liver. Diuretics are generally used to help manage and treat this condition by flushing out excess water and excess fluid from the abdomen.
When used in conjunction with traditional treatment, including some natural diuretics in your routine can also be beneficial.
In addition, many also boast liver-protective properties to improve liver health further. Dandelion, hawthorn leaf, and asparagus, for example, have been shown to reduce the risk of liver damage in both in vitro studies and animal models.
PCOS symptoms decrease
Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is a disorder caused when women produce high male hormones, leading to irregular periods, weight gain, depression, and acne.
Diuretic pills are often used as a conventional treatment for PCOS, which works by removing excess water and androgen hormones from the body to reduce symptoms.
In addition to promoting proper hydration and enhancing the body’s ability to eliminate hormones and extra fluids effectively, some natural diuretics also have anti-androgenic effects.
Green tea, for example, is rich in epigallocatechin, which are catechins that can help block the conversion of certain sex hormones to reduce the risk of PCOS symptoms.
History and interesting facts
Although widely used to treat various conditions today, diuretics have grown in popularity in the last century.
In fact, until about 1957, the only effective types of diuretics available had to be injected directly into muscle or veins and were difficult to administer, so they were generally reserved only for heart failure patients.
In 1958, cardiologist Dr. Marvin Moser realized that chlorothiazide, a standard diuretic used primarily for heart failure, was also capable of lowering blood pressure levels.
Also, in 1964 a large randomized controlled trial was carried out, this being the first to show that the reduction of blood pressure through the use of drugs was able to protect against cardiovascular events.
Today, the uses of diuretics extend well beyond heart health. Diuretics are also commonly used to balance hormone levels, decrease bloating and fluid retention, and even help prevent certain conditions, such as kidney stones.
In recent years, many people have turned to natural diuretics such as herbs, supplements, and foods to mimic the effects of diuretics and reduce the risk of adverse side effects.
How to use or cook natural diuretics
One of the easiest ways to take advantage of the myriad of health benefits that natural diuretics provide is to include a few servings of natural diuretic fruits and vegetables in your diet.
Try starting your day with a delicious green smoothie, satisfying your taste with a tasty fruit salad, or swapping your fries for a salad to help get you ready.
Natural diuretic pills and supplements are also available for a quick and easy way to remove excess water while avoiding some of the negative symptoms of certain OTC diuretic medications.
Check with your local pharmacy or health food store to find supplements like hawthorn berries, horsetail, and hibiscus in convenient capsule form. Be sure to use as directed and stick to the recommended dosage to avoid adverse side effects.
Additionally, drinking some tea throughout the day can also help increase urine volume and flush out excess fluid.
And tea is not only diuretic; it is also packed with other health-promoting properties like thearubicins, epicatechins, and catechins, which act as antioxidants to prevent chronic disease and prevent cell damage.
Also, make a cup of natural diuretic tea options of your choice, such as green, black, or hibiscus, and enjoy the multitude of powerful health benefits.
Possible side effects and precautions
In general, natural diuretics can be a safe alternative to over-the-counter diuretic medications and an effective way to avoid the potential side effects of water pills.
Some of the more common diuretic drug side effects include:
- Muscle cramps.
- High blood sugar levels
- Diarrhea .
- Headaches.
- Low sodium levels.
- High or low levels of potassium in the blood.
For most people, natural diuretic foods, unlike diuretic medications, can be enjoyed with minimal risk of side effects.
If you experience adverse side effects or food allergy symptoms such as swelling, rash, or hives, discontinue use and consult your doctor.
On the other hand, diuretic herbs and supplements should be used in moderation to avoid adverse side effects. Follow the recommended dosage and talk to your doctor before starting if you have any underlying health problems, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or liver problems.
Also, while these natural diuretics can help reduce excess fluid build-up, they may not be an appropriate substitute for medications prescribed by your doctor.
Be sure to address any concerns with a trusted healthcare professional to determine the best treatment for you.
Final thoughts
What is a diuretic?
A diuretic is any drug that promotes diuresis or urine production; diuretics are commonly used to treat everything from heart failure to high blood pressure.
Natural diuretics are foods, herbs, and supplements that act as diuretics to prevent fluid build-up and decrease bloating.
Adding a few servings of natural diuretics to your diet may help prevent kidney stones, decrease PCOS symptoms, treat swelling and ascites, lower blood pressure, and promote proper filtration in the kidneys.
