Alternative Medicines for Kidney Stones

Nutritional therapists hold that many types of kidney stones are the result of an improper diet, and treatment and prevention require wholesale changes in eating habits.

A very common type of kidney stone, calcium oxalate, has been linked to a diet that's low in fiber and high in refined carbohydrates, animal protein (including meat and dairy products), and alcohol. Protein can cause problems by prompting the body to lose more calcium in the urine, making it available for stone formation. People who are prone to forming stones are advised to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. A vegetarian diet, consisting of no beef, poultry, or seafood, is often recommended as an ideal way to meet these nutritional guidelines. Daily water consumption should be about four quarts, and specific foods, such as those high in oxalate (peanuts, chocolate, coffee, spinach and other leafy greens, black tea, rhubarb), should be cut from the diet.

Deficiencies in magnesium and vitamin B6 may also lead to calcium oxalate stones. Several studies have shown that doses of magnesium and vitamin B6 can prevent stones in many people who previously had them. Several other supplements may also be prescribed, including vitamin K.

In the treatment of kidney stones, herbs can be used to break them down and prevent their formation in the first place. Herbs can also encourage the flow of urine and relieve the irritated walls of the urinary tract. Gravelroot has long been used to dissolve kidney stones. The root is commonly taken in decoction or tincture form. Madder, hydrangea, and rumex can also help break up stones. Aloe vera juice may clear stones and prevent new ones from forming.

Other herbs, such as cornsilk and couch grass, can soothe the walls of the urinary tract. Juniper berries, often used to clear urinary tract infections, can be added to an herbal treatment for stones.