Olive Oil Cure for Kidney Stones

Renal calculi, otherwise known as kidney stones, are urine that has become crystallized in the kidneys. Over time, kidney stones can grow to large dimensions, leading to abdominal pain, difficulty urinating and blockage. Olive oil, combined with other natural ingredients, has long been used as a natural remedy for kidney stones, through an easy process that you can do at home.

How the Olive Oil Cure Works

• Olive oil works by lubricating your kidneys, specifically the urethral passages, allowing the kidney stones to traverse your kidneys with little to no pain. However, if your kidney stones are large, they need to be broken down before they can be safely passed out of your body. This is where the other parts of the olive oil cure come in. Lemon juice is combined with the olive oil and a cup of the mixture is ingested on a daily basis. The acidity in the lemon juice breaks down the kidney stones, allowing them to become small enough to be passed out in urine, while the olive oil keeps the broken-down stones from causing pain as they work their way out.

Other Ingredients

• In addition to olive oil and lemon juice, there are other important parts of the olive oil cure that you should use if you want to successfully remove your kidney stones. You should drink up to three liters of water per day to help dissolve existing kidney stones, and keep new ones from forming. You should also consume as many citrates (salts from citric acid) as possible, since they help prevent calcium from building up. Citrates are found in fruits such as bananas, oranges and apricots. Finally, you should drink a small amount -- about four tablespoons -- of apple cider vinegar each day. Apple cider vinegar has a high acidity, and works like the lemon juice to help dissolve and break down the kidney stones.

Other Considerations

• Although the olive oil cure is a viable method for getting rid of kidney stones, it may not work for all situations. If the kidney stones are too compacted to be dissolved by water or lemon juice, then they will not break down, and will either remain the same size or continue to grow. If you attempt the olive oil cure and do not see results within a few weeks, you should contact your physician for a follow-up appointment, as other methods of treatment may need to be considered. You should consult your physician before embarking on any self-treatment regimen.