Home Remedies For Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are crystals that form in the kidneys or the bladder. These crystals are composed of calcium salts, uric acid or struvite, a kind of crystal that contains magnesium. A passed stone's appearance is a clue to its composition. Calcium stones—the most common kind—may be mulberry-shaped. Uric acid stones are shaped like footballs and are reddish-brown or tan. Struvite stones are the colour of maple syrup and are faceted.
Kidney stones usually cause no symptoms until they are dislodged. A dislodged kidney stone can cause excruciating, radiating pain originating in the flank or kidney area, along with chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, frequent urination, pus and blood in the urine, and odorous or cloudy urine. Struvite and uric acid stones may form "staghorns" that imbed the stone into the kidney. Imbedded stones also can cause extreme pain.
Possible causes of kidney stones include Cushing's syndrome or overactive adrenal glands; cysteinuria, or elevated levels of the amino acid cystine in the urine and sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease. Diet is another important factor in the formation of kidney stones. Stones can form in response to hepatitis, yeast infections and especially bacterial urinary tract infections, which can infect the stones themselves.
The diagnosis of kidney stones is made by locating the stone or by ultrasound, in which sound waves are used to produce a "picture" of the urinary tract. Small stones may be simply monitored to see that they do not grow. Large stones may be treated with lithotripsy, in which high- frequency sound waves are used to crush the stone. If lithotripsy does not work, surgery may be necessary. Herbal therapies should be used preventively, rather than during acute attacks.

Use the Japanese beverage lisymachia or kinsenso tea, available from Japanese grocery stores, to increase urination and help the kidneys flush out small stones. Take 1 to 2 cups daily for three to four months.
Eat adequate amounts of fibber. Low fibber consumption is associated with a high risk of stone development.
Use any magnesium supplement that does not include calcium. Magnesium reduces the rate at which the digestive tract absorbs calcium and lowers the concentration of calcium in the urine.
To avoid the formation of new stones, do not consume large amounts of alcohol or fat.
Avoid high-protein and "crash" diets. They greatly increase the acidity of the urine, which can promote the development of some types of stones.
Limit vitamin C supplementation to between 2,000 and 4,000 milligrams daily for periods of no more than two weeks at a time, taking care to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Higher dosages, continuous use of vitamin C, or use of vitamin C during periods of dehydration may contribute to stone formation.
To prevent new calcium stones from forming, avoid dairy products, meats, beet greens, black tea, cocoa, cranberries, nuts, parsley, pepper, spinach, Swiss chard and especially rhubarb.
To prevent new uric acid stones from forming, avoid purine-rich foods, such as anchovies, herring, mackerel, sardines, shellfish and yeast.