What is an Herbal Diuretic?

An herbal diuretic is an herb that helps to remove water from the body. Diuretics generally work with the kidneys to increase urine production, thus increasing the amount of water the kidneys need to expel wastes from the body.

Diuretic Herbs

• Dandelion leaves can help stimulate urine production. Green tea is used in Chinese and Indian medicine while stinging nettle has its roots as a diuretic from medieval Europe.

How to Take Diuretic Herbs

• Depending on the herb, diuretic herbs can be taken as a tea or a tincture. Some, such as dandelion leaves, can be eaten straight. A few, such as stinging nettle, come in capsule form.

Reasons for Taking Diuretics

• The most popular reason for taking an herbal diuretic is to flush the kidneys and purify the blood. High blood pressure or edema (overabundance of fluid in the tissues) may lead a doctor to prescribe a diuretic substance.

Other Properties

• Diuretic herbs may also have other properties, such as antiseptic, antibiotic, anticatarrhal (eliminating excess mucus), alterative and even antipyretic (reducing fever). The specific additional properties present will depend on the herb itself.

Herbal Diuretics & Conventional Medicine

• Most of the time, it's very unwise to mix herbal diuretics with conventional drugs such as xipamide (Diurexan) or torasemide (Torem). Never do so without a doctor's supervision, as some herbs can interact with drugs to create adverse side effects and reactions.