Modern Medicine considers it “NORMAL” to lose up to 50% of your Kidney Function as you get older! Are you OK with that?

Hi everybody. Today I’m going to talk to you about declining kidney function, and herbs that can help protect, strengthen and cleanse your kidneys.

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The statements made here in this episode have not been evaluated by the FDA, and this is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, recommend or offer medical treatment. Please check with your healthcare practitioner to see if the options I’ve outlined in this episode may be suitable for your particular case. Your doctor knows your case. Not only can they give you a proper diagnosis, but they will also tell you if an herb may be harmful to you because of other medicine you are taking. My doctor, whenever I talk to her about herbs I’m thinking of taking, will generally say… it can’t hurt to try it. So please check with your doctor.

Kidney function can decline as much as 30% even by the time you reach 50! Around 33 million Americans currently have Kidney Disease, and a very large percentage of additional people don’t even know they have it, because symptoms don’t usually show up until you are at Stage 3. And by that time, you are already VERY sick!

Kidney Disease, even in early stages, can cause cognitive impairment, such as dementia and delirium. But Kidney Disease also causes changes in motor function, depression, and mood and sleep disturbances! Recent studies have shown Kidney Disease can contribute to bone disorders, such as Osteoporosis. And even though it has been thought for many years that Diabetes can cause Kidney Disease, the opposite has recently been proven – Kidney Disease can cause Diabetes!

What do the Kidneys do?

Kidneys are responsible for filtering ALL of the blood in your body, an amazing 60 times per day! But when they are overloaded with toxins, and get damaged, they are no longer able to perform their job correctly. And the toxins just build up and make us sicker!

Our Kidneys filter out byproducts of metabolism, such as ammonia, urea, uric acid, creatinine; industrial toxins, such as heavy metals; and excess nutrients from food and vitamins that we take, such as salt, Vitamin C, and B Vitamins. Even though the kidneys are very good at purging the toxins from our blood, it may be hard for the kidneys to pass the toxins into the urine, so they start to accumulate and cause damage to the kidneys, or the toxins may be reabsorbed back into your blood!

What do Kidney Toxins do to your body?

Ammonia causes muscle weakness and fatigue. Left untreated, this can affect your brain, causing change in cognitive function, such as confusion, dementia and delirium.

Urea causes extreme fatigue, leg cramps, reduced appetite, headaches, and trouble concentrating.

Uric Acid causes urate crystals to accumulate in your joints, such as with Gout and Osteoarthritis.

Creatinine causes high blood pressure and fluid retention or swelling.

Heavy Metals such as Cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, platinum, and uranium are all nephrotoxic, meaning they cause kidney damage. Cadmium is found in high phosphate fertilizers, used for convention farming of tobacco, soybeans and rice. Mercury is found mostly in silver fillings, and in large or older fish.

New-to-Nature molecules that are damaging to the kidneys include flourinated hydrocarbons, such as Teflon. Another new-to-nature molecule, Glyphosate, is a weed killer commonly used in conventional farming, and in weed killing products used around the home, such as Roundup. Glyphosate can leach into well water that we drink.

NSAIDs, such as Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, indomethacin, and COX-2 inhibitors have now all been shown to cause kidney damage when used chronically.

Excessive consumption of Salt and Phosphates from processed foods overloads the Kidneys, and impairs their ability to eliminate other toxins.

So… what can be done about this?

Drink more water, at least 6-8 glasses per day! I’m sure you’ve all heard that one before, and that’s because its really important. But on the other hand, you don’t want to drink too much water, because that just makes your kidneys work harder to process it all. So try to get that 6-8 glasses per day.
Be more aware of the foods we eat. Reduce consumption of processed foods which are high in salt and phosphorus. Eat organic fruits and vegetables that were not grown in kidney damaging fertilizers.
Consider changing the products we use in and around our homes. Use more natural cleaners, pesticides and weed killers, that do not contain kidney harming chemicals.

Get some help from Herbs!

Beet Root (Beta vulgaris)– Increases blood flow to the kidneys.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)– Ginger increases blood flow to the kidneys, and the rest of your body. Ginger also decreases inflammation and reduces oxidative stress on your kidneys. Ginger has been proven to offer protection to the kidneys from Cadmium.

Grape Seed (Vitis vinifera) – Also reduces oxidative stress on the kidneys, and has been shown to improve GFR (glomerular infiltration rate) and proteinuria.

Corn Silk (Zea mays) – Reduces oxidative stress on the kidneys, offers protection from toxins, and helps to repair kidney function. It has been shown to reduce urea and creatinine levels.

Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis) – Marshmallow Root adds mucilage to the urinary system to sooth inflammation, and adds nourishment and protection to mucous membranes. If you have kidney stones, Marshmallow Root will help them pass through your urinary tract. Marshmallow Root actually binds with toxins in the kidneys, to make them easier to flush out in the urine. It is a gentle diuretic Herb, therefore, not as irritating to the kidneys as other diuretic Herbs. But its use should be limited to no more than 3 weeks, with a long break in between uses.

WARNING: If you have received a Kidney Transplant, or are taking immune suppressing drugs for any reason, this Herbal protocol may not be right for you! Please check with your doctor to ask if any of the above mentioned Herbs may be beneficial in addition to your current medical treatment.

Herbs to NOT use for Kidneys!

Juniper Berry (any of the Juniperus species) – Juniper is an excellent Diuretic Herb, but it is also very irritating to the kidneys, and in some ways may make Kidney conditions worse.

Diuretic Herbs – Parsley, Dandelion Leaf, Goldenrod, etc. are usually included in most Kidney Cleansing formulas you see online. These are also diuretic Herbs, and are irritating to the kidneys. If used, they should be limited to only 1 week, with a long break between uses.

My own Personal Experience…

I do take Ginger Root and Grape Seed every day, and I take marshmallow root for about 2-3 weeks out of every 2-3 months. I have noticed a significant reduction in the amount of headaches I get. There had been times in the past when I would experience headaches on a daily basis, but I rarely get them now. And when I do, I know its time to start taking the marshmallow root again.

My blood pressure has also been reduced just a little bit. And I have less pain in my knees and hips now. I don’t think it was actually to arthritis stage yet, but maybe just cleared up some minor deposits in my joints. So, yes, lots of benefits to taking proper care of your kidneys, and getting all those toxins flushed out.

If you are interested in learning more about the information I have outlined, I’ve included links to some articles below that you can check out.

I hope this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. And thanks so much for joining me today!

Blessings and good health to you all!

This episode is also available as a Podcast. The easiest way to find my Podcast is to search for my name (Sandy Gowland) in your favorite Podcatcher.

Or Click Here to listen to the Podcast on Spotify.

The statements made on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, prescribe, recommend, or offer medical advice. Please see your health care practitioner for help regarding choices and to avoid herb-drug interactions.

​What do the Kidneys do?

What do Kidney Toxins do to your body?

​So… what can be done about this?

Get some help from Herbs!

Herbs to NOT use for Kidneys!

My own Personal Experience…

​Further Reading –

Related Posts

What do the Kidneys do?

So… what can be done about this?

Further Reading –