Natural Kidney Stone Remedies: Pain Relief & Prevention

| Modified on Feb 15, 2024
Lemon and Olive Oil.

Experiencing kidney stones is often compared to the agony of childbirth, emphasizing the need for quick and efficient relief. Natural remedies can be a beacon of hope, offering rapid resolution and easing discomfort. These home treatments blend everyday ingredients like olive oil and lemon juice with herbs and dietary adjustments to combat kidney stones.

Understanding Kidney Stone Symptoms

Typically, kidney stones trigger intense back or side pain. Symptoms include bloody urine, frequent or painful urination, and potentially impeded urine flow. They can coincide with urinary tract infections, leading to fever, nausea, and vomiting. Initially, a medical diagnosis is crucial to exclude other serious conditions.

Kidney Stone Varieties and Their Specific Treatments

There are four primary types of kidney stones, each with distinct characteristics:

  • Calcium Stones: The most prevalent, primarily comprising calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.
  • Struvite Stones: These often emerge alongside infections.
  • Uric Acid Stones: Linked to chronic dehydration and high-protein diets, these also contribute to gout.
  • Cystine Stones: Associated with a genetic disorder.

Identifying the type of kidney stone is vital for choosing the most effective natural remedy.

Natural Alternatives to Conventional Kidney Stone Treatments

While traditional treatments involve diagnostics, medication, and sometimes surgery, natural remedies offer a safer and more accessible choice.

Home Remedies for Kidney Stone Relief

  1. Lemon Juice and Olive Oil: Hands down, the lemon juice and olive oil protocol for kidney stones is the most popular. Two ounces of each are consumed several times a day until the stones pass. This is not surprising since lemon juice is useful in dissolving calcium stones, the most common type of kidney stone.
  2. Apple Cider Vinegar: Known for its versatile health benefits, it's effective against kidney stones.
  3. Various Juice:  Lemon, lime, pomegranate, and others assist in dissolving stones and provide hydration.
  4. Baking Soda: Increases urine alkalinity, beneficial for uric acid stones.
  5. Herbs: Chanca Piedra, alfalfa, cornsilk, gravel root, and marshmallow root offer relief.
  6. Castor Oil: Useful for pain relief and may aid in stone dissolution.
  7. Warm Baths With Magnesium (Epsom salt):  Offers relaxation and pain relief.
  8. Supplements: B-6, magnesium, and vitamin C benefit those suffering from kidney stones.
  9. Dietary Changes: Emphasizing whole foods, minimal sugar, and processed foods, along with adequate hydration, can prevent future stones.

Additional Recommendations

  • Hydration is key: Herbal teas and water are ideal.
  • Watermelon: A natural remedy that promotes hydration and stone dissolution.

FAQ Section: Understanding Kidney Stones and Natural Remedies

What Causes Kidney Stones to Form?

Kidney stones develop when substances like calcium, oxalate, and uric acid in the urine concentrate and crystallize. Dehydration, dietary factors, and certain medical conditions can increase the risk.

Can Natural Remedies Dissolve Kidney Stones Effectively?

Yes, certain natural remedies, like lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, can help dissolve kidney stones, especially smaller calcium oxalate stones. However, effectiveness varies based on the stone's type and size.

Are There Any Home Remedies for Quick Kidney Stone Relief?

Quick relief remedies include hydration through water and herbal teas, lemon juice, olive oil, and applying a warm compress or castor oil pack to the painful area.

How Can I Prevent Kidney Stones Naturally?

Preventing kidney stones naturally involves staying well-hydrated, adopting a balanced diet low in oxalates and high in calcium, reducing salt intake, and possibly including certain supplements like magnesium.

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good for All Types of Kidney Stones?

Apple cider vinegar is beneficial mainly for calcium oxalate stones. Its effectiveness on other types of stones, like uric acid or struvite stones, may be limited.

What Dietary Changes can Help Manage Kidney Stones?

Dietary changes include increasing fluid intake, reducing oxalate-rich foods (like spinach and nuts), limiting animal proteins, and ensuring adequate calcium intake from dietary sources.

How Effective Is Lemon Juice in Treating Kidney Stones?

Lemon juice is particularly effective for calcium stones due to its high citrate content, which helps break down the stones and prevent new ones from forming.

Can Kidney Stones Lead to Other Health Complications?

If untreated, kidney stones can lead to urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and, in severe cases, kidney damage.

Are Herbal Remedies Safe for Kidney Stones?

Most herbal remedies, like Chanca Piedra or marshmallow root, are safe for many people, but it's important to consult a healthcare professional, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

How Long Does It Take for Natural Remedies to Work on Kidney Stones?

The time it takes for natural remedies to work on kidney stones can vary. Some people may experience relief within a few days, while others might take several weeks.

Conclusion

Natural remedies provide a holistic and accessible approach to managing kidney stones. One can find relief and prevent future occurrences by understanding the type of stone and implementing appropriate home treatments.

Please share your experiences or feedback on natural kidney stone remedies with us!

Related Links:

Lemon & Olive Oil: Effective Kidney Stone Home Remedy




Apple Cider Vinegar, Chanca Piedra

1 User Review
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Posted by Su (New York) on 02/14/2018
★☆☆☆☆

I have 8 mm kidney stone . Took 2 tablespoons ACV 2 x a day and chanca piatra for 3 months but the kidney stone stilll the same.. Ended up with lithotripsy

Replied by Teena
(Melbourne, Australia)
02/15/2018
233 posts

How much CP did you take? Mine says 5 cups of CP tea a day for treatment, start to see benefits in two weeks..


Apple Cider Vinegar, Corn Silk Tea

1 User Review
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Posted by ACVlover (Canada) on 12/06/2022
★★★★★

I had to create an account to talk about this! 2 months ago I suffered my first kidney stone attack. On ultrasound they said it was 6mm...after a little over a week later I had another ultrasound and they said it was now 8mm!! (stuck at the top of my ureter) I wanted to try and take care of this myself... I'm breastfeeding and wanted to avoid any invasive surgeries. I started drinking apple cider vinegar daily, maybe a few tablespoons every day mixed with large glasses of water. The ACV took care of the pain I had! I went crazy with the lemon water as well...I just had to use a straw for both to protect my teeth.

My mother in law sent me some corn silk tea and the night I took it I noticed blood in urine and a bit of cramping (must have been moving! ). I had an x-ray after a few weeks and "nothing notable! " I was so excited but they wanted me to have another ultrasound because I didn't pass anything yet. I'm guessing the stones were too small for them to see with x-ray! I was due to have my ultrasound tomorrow and after drinking a big glass of ACV in my water I passed 3 stones!! ZERO pain coming out too! The 2 pieces that came out first were about the size of a quarter of my pinky nail...so they're pretty big! The 3rd was a little smaller.

I'm still amazed they came out pain free! They still want me to have my ultrasound tomorrow, but I had to mention what I tried! I had 3 or 4 doctors tell me it would be "near impossible" to pass anything that's 8 mm! :) Faith in God really helps. God bless anyone going through this!


Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil

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Posted by Aaron (MT) on 06/01/2023 2 posts
★★★★★

Have had Kidney stones forming for a couple of weeks, which has never happened. The only other times I have had stones, they were full on there and I couldn't move a muscle without pain. 15 out of 10 pain. If I sat completely still, I was pain free.

With this incident, I can move and walk and go to the store, everything normal but there is slight pain, like a 4 out of 10...

With the previous stones, Cranberry Juice dissolved them. One gallon sitting there because I couldn't move, and that was that... That didn't work this time, I drank 3 gallons in 5 days or so... Back in the day, "Cranberry Juice" was exactly that... Now, it's "Apple and Pear and 400 other things and 2% Cranberry". It reminds me of "Almond Milk" that is about an Ounce of Almonds and the rest is Water and additives. If you like "Almond Milk" and learn to make your own, you will never buy those cartons again.

A couple of ounces of ACV in 16 oz water with a little Olive Oil... Slammed it down, and chased it with 16 ounces of plain water... Pain gone within a few minutes.

Now, time to cut down on Salt and increase water intake, get back to a 36 Hour water fast once a week.


Citric Acid

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Posted by helping others (France) on 07/28/2023
★★★★★

High dose of citric acid (2 tablespoons the morning and 2 in the evening) for fews days will cure oxalic acid crystals inside your cell very fast, faster than most remedies here, and also kidney stones I think


Garlic, Lemon

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Posted by Salvavida (Woodbridge, Virginia) on 11/20/2011
★★★★★

As for kidney stones, I was told this recipe dissolves them:

1. 40 cloves of garlic chopped finely ( I use the processor) 5-6 lemons cut in half and seeds removed.

2. Process in the processor (including the skins).

3. Combine lemons and garlic and a liter of water bring to a simmering boil then remove from heat.

4. Strain garlic and lemon from the water.

Put the lemon/garlic water in a jar or pitcher and keep refrigerated.

Dosage: For three weeks take a shot glass every day. Then off one week. Then repeat for three weeks again.


IP6 and Inositol

2 User Reviews
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Posted by Hoss (Ennis, Tx) on 01/25/2020
★★★★★

Kidney stone dissolved:

On the advice of my doctor, I used IP6 & inositol (inositol hexaphosphate) to dissolve a kidney stone. I took 2 in the morning and 2 at night 90 minutes away from food. It worked.....

Replied by maria
(ON)
03/14/2022
9 posts

hHw many days to get rid of stone? what brand did you use?

Betty
(CA)
03/15/2022
★★★★★

Just to jump in here.

My aunt took pure encapsulations brand. She took 3 caps 3x per day. It took a week and 1/2 for her to pass 2 stones. Pure misery but goal achieved. Not sure if she took potassium citrate also. She passed last year, age 86.

I believe the time it takes depends on size of stone vs dosage.


Replied by Sangeetha
(Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands)
06/26/2009

Yesterday I went for an ultrasound to check the status of what I was told earlier was a kidney stone 4.5/4.8 mm. It has been 19 months and it still sits in the same place. Today my doctor called and told me I don't have a kidney stone, instead she thinks it is an angiolipoma. She has given my past and present ultrasound results to a radiologist to compare and check. She might be right, given that its sitting in my right kidney for so long and lemon juice/olive oil and ACV have not expelled it yet. It does seem to have shrunk a bit as my doctor said it was 4 mm in yesterday's result.

Does anyone know an effective home remedy for this?

Thanks.

EC: "Angiolipoma: A benign tumor composed chiefly of fat cells and containing an unusually large number of vascular channels."
Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/angiolipoma

Kidney Stone Inducing Medications

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Posted by Ria (Nevada) on 10/17/2022
★★★★★

Just a caution about certain meds.

I had serious gastrointestinal issues, GERD, heartburn, etc. and was told to take sucralfate. I also used Tums and proton pump inhibitors whenever I thought I needed them. When I went to emergency with huge pain in my kidney and surrounding area, they determined I passed a stone. My diet is very simple and no red meat, only some chicken, no drinking, nothing excessive. There is nothing in it that's conducive to kidney stones. Nobody in my family has ever had them. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that I got the stones from these meds. I've never had them in my life before, and they all have a history of stone formation in people. Now the challenge is to get rid of them permanently and still heal the gastro issues. DGL, slippery elm, marshmellow root, L-glutamine, cayenne, kefir, yogurt, mastic gum. I have had good success with them.

Replied by learningallthetime
(Colorado)
12/17/2022

Reading through what you were doing - it possibly could have been the Tums.


Low Oxalate Diet, Magnesium Citrate

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Posted by Chip J. (St. Augustine, FL) on 01/27/2019
★★★★★

After 30 years of kidney stones I am finally stone free. I've had over 16 calcium oxalate stones. My first was in 1988 the next was in 2001. Since then I have had at least 15 stones. I started taking control of my eating habits in 2008, but it was not until 2017 that I finally took the steps that resulted in my being stone free.

The first thing I did in 2008 was to cut high oxalate foods from my diet. Spinach, black tea, beans (both green and dry, in fact any legume), processed chocalate, white and sweet potatoes and carrots were the first things I dropped. This took stones from appearing every 15 to 18 months to 3 years.

Then I discovered the University of Chicago's kidney Stone web pages, they are awesome. From them I learned how stone formers have a different body chemistry and that just 50 MG of oxalates can cause stones to form.

Their list of the amount of oxalates in foods was the most comprehensive I had seen. Learning about different foods validated my decision to eliminate high oxalate foods but really showed the need to watch what you eat because oxalates show up anywhere. One tip they gave was to take a high citrate supplement. It turns out that citrate binds to oxalate ions and stops them from being released into the body. I elected to take Magnesium Citrate. I also stumbled onto the “Trying Low Oxalate” yahoo users group. They have lots of members who must limit oxalates for lots of health reasons, (endometriosis is just one). Something I would have not thought of are high oxalate spices and supplements.

From them I found out that just one packet of Stevia sweetener has 47 mg of oxalate (I switched to monk fruit extract which has zero oxalate.) Their list of foods is even better than the University of Chicago's. This past August I received another ultrasound, I asked to be tested because of all the steps I had taken. (I have had them after every stone I had ever passed, normally there would be 2 to 4 small stones still present.) This time I was found to be stone free. One final tip, I heard from one food manufacturer, they claimed that only unprocessed cocao had no oxalates. That even dark chocolate is processed and has oxalates.

I hope that my story helps others get rid of their stones.


Multiple Remedies

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Posted by Edward (Ny) on 12/08/2018
★★★★★

Green Tea, Cayenne Pepper, Castor or Flaxseed Oil.

The sonogram showed I had five stones in my right kidney and two in my left kidney at the same time. my pain was in my stomach and mid to lower back. My stomach was bloated. I had to wait two days for the bloating to go away. I drank distilled water with cranberry juice no additives. Then I started the cayenne pepper and other oils and citrus juices. The fourth day I started passing the stones. I went back on the sixth day and the sonogram proved the kidney stones were gone.

Replied by Julian
(Ma)
12/11/2018

Interesting. I just went through the painful ordeal 2 days ago. 1 stone passed found it in the urine. Want to find out what can dissolve these stones.

Replied by judith
(USA)
01/29/2024

Hello Edward, would you be able to tell me how much and how often you took green tea, cayenne pepper, castor or flax seed oil and citrus juices to dissolve kidney stones? esp. castor oil which I've used topically but never internally. Many thanks! Judith


Probiotics

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Posted by Art (California ) on 07/01/2018 2119 posts
★★★★★

Chronic Recurring Kidney Stones

Many people get kidney stones and are able to effectively eliminate them with Chanca Piedra or the olive oil with lemon juice remedy, but what do you do if the stones keep recurring? If they are like the majority of stones, they are likely formed from calcium oxalate, so reducing calcium intake may be helpful, but what else can you do to try and prevent them from coming back?

The following PubMed abstract suggests that probiotics containing some common Lactobacillus strains may be just the ticket to help deal with this common and often painful problem. Considering that probiotics can have a myriad of positive health effects, this may be a very nice option to have!

Art

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25291139

J Clin Gastroenterol. 2014 Nov-Dec;48 Suppl 1:S91-5. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0000000000000228.

Screening of different probiotic strains for their in vitro ability to metabolise oxalates: any prospective use in humans?

Mogna L1, Pane M, Nicola S, Raiteri E.

BACKGROUND:

Oxalate is the salt-forming ion of oxalic acid and can generate oxalate salts combining with various cations, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Approximately 75% of all kidney stones are composed primarily of calcium oxalate (CaOx) and hyperoxaluria, a condition involving high urinary oxalate concentration, is considered a primary risk factor for kidney stone formation, known as nephrolithiasis. Current therapeutic strategies often fail in their compliance or effectiveness, and CaOx stone recurrence is still common. After an initial stone, there is a 50% chance of forming a second stone within 7 years if the condition is left untreated. The potential therapeutic application of some probiotics, mainly lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, in reducing hyperoxaluria in vivo through intestinal oxalate degrading activity is compelling and initial reports are promising. This study was undertaken to screen different Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains for their capacity to degrade oxalate in vitro using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

METHODS:

The oxalate-degrading activity of 13 lactobacilli and 5 bifidobacteria was tested using a novel HPLC method after growth in a broth culture added with 10 mM ammonium oxalate. Experiments were repeated 3 times. Oxalobacter formigenes (DSM 4420) was used as positive reference to validate HPLC oxalate-degrading capability assays.

RESULTS:

Lactobacillus strains were more efficient than bifidobacteria in degrading oxalates. L. paracasei LPC09 (DSM 24243) gave the best result, as 68.5% of ammonium oxalate was converted at the end of incubation, whereas the following best converters belong to the L. gasseri and L. acidophilus species. The relatively low conversion rate observed for most bifidobacteria can probably be attributed to intrinsic oxalate toxicity toward this genus.

CONCLUSIONS:

Humans lack the enzymes needed to directly metabolise oxalate, and this potentially toxic compound is, therefore, managed using alternative pathways. As oxalate-degrading bacteria are present in the endogenous microbiota of the human intestine, although with significant individual differences, it is possible to hypothesise that the administration of selected oxalate-degrading probiotics could be an alternative and innovative approach to reducing the intestinal absorption of oxalate and the resulting urinary excretion.

Replied by Paracelsus
(Orlando, Fl)
07/05/2018
47 posts

You can't go wrong supplementing with probiotics. However, another important point here is for people who struggle with recurring kidney stones is to increase magnesium intake. Reducing calcium intake and increasing magnesium intake is key. In the presence of Magnesium, oxalates will combine with magnesium to form magnesium oxalate instead of calcium oxalate.

Per Wikipedia, " Magnesium (Mg2+) oxalate is 567 times more soluble than calcium oxalate, so the latter is more likely to precipitate out when magnesium levels are low and calcium and oxalate levels are high."

In other words, if you have enough magnesium, the oxalates will be excreted through the urine without forming stones.

Incidentally, there is a lot of misinformation on YouTube and the internet by so called experts who advise avoiding foods high in oxalates. Some of the foods they list are absolutely super foods, such as spinach, avocado and almonds. What these so called experts don't take into consideration is that while these foods have high levels of oxalates, they are also among the foods with the highest levels of magnesium.

Yes, mother nature has more wisdom than our scientists and does not make mistakes!

Replied by Angela
(Yachats, Or)
08/09/2018

Incredibly useful information. I will try this. I tried the olive oil/lemon method, and it made my condition 10X worse, putting me on the ground in even worse agonizing pain. Probably the worst pain I've ever been in my life. I will never do it again. Will try this. Thank you Art for sharing this information!

Replied by Angela
(Or)
08/24/2018

The olive oil/lemon thing caused me to be in the worst agony I have ever been in in my life.

Next, I tried magnesium. Magnesium was able to break it up within 1 week and finally passed pieces of what appeared to be a VERY large stone, as big as a pea. Frightening. Now I see why I was in so much pain. Magnesium is incredible..

Replied by Brian L.
(Osoyoos, Bc, Canada)
09/25/2018

Angela,

How much magnesium were you taking?



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