Supporting the health of our kidneys is important for our overall well-being. The kidneys are essential for regulating numerous bodily functions such as removing toxins from the body, underscoring the significance of their proper operation.
How does daily nutrient intake impact overall kidney health?
In order to understand how daily habits can affect the way the kidneys function, let’s first take a look at which nutrients are the most important to pay attention to and limit consumption if needed, as too much can compromise already-weakened kidneys.
- Phosphorus: Consuming high-phosphorus foods, like canned or processed foods, can elevate phosphorus levels in your bloodstream beyond the kidney’s capacity for removal.
- Calcium: Excess phosphorus can also leach calcium from your bones. This calcium accumulates in the heart, as well as in the kidneys as painful kidney stones.
- Potassium: Appropriate potassium intake varies depending on kidney health. Imbalances in potassium levels, either excessive or insufficient, may pose risks to your kidneys. It is important to discuss with your healthcare team to determine your specific requirements.
How Can We Make our Kidneys Stronger?
- Get enough sleep
- Make physical activity a part of your routine
- Keep blood sugar in normal range
- Limit alcohol intake
- Hydrate
Adding beneficial herbs to your diet has also been shown to be able to help remove toxins, and even help restore some function to the kidneys.
How Can Herbs Naturally Support Your Kidneys?
Studies have shown that Pyrrosia leaf, Schisandra berry, Macrocarpium berry, Euryale seeds and Goji leaf are some of the best herbs for kidney health, effective in protecting the kidneys from damages and helping to regulate the function of the kidneys.
Pyrrosia leaf is an herb commonly used in traditional Eastern herbalism for addressing kidney stones. This herb is full of polysaccharides, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and polyphenols that have antioxidant and kidney-protecting effects. In addition, pyrrosia leaf is shown to be able to address formation of kidney stones and lower damage to the kidneys.
In traditional Eastern herbalism, schisandra berry is known to tonify the vital energy of the kidneys. This wonderful red berry has anti-inflammatory properties which help support kidney tissues. Schisandra berries owe their powerful benefits to bioactive compounds called lignans. Lignans can support many aspects of our wellness, but the most important here is that it can help reduce damage to the kidneys.
Common macrocarpium berry, also known as cornelian cherry or Corni Fructus, contains anthocyanins, a naturally occurring plant pigment that also is greatly beneficial for health. These amazing compounds can support the organs by addressing oxidative stress, regulating inflammatory response, and managing the deterioration of kidney tissues.
Euryale seeds are rich in lignans, tocopherols, peptides, flavonoids, and especially polyphenols. Plant polyphenols are important to supporting kidney health because they have antioxidant effects, which helps fight against oxidative stress that diabetes can have on the kidneys.
The berry of the goji plant is widely used in traditional Eastern medicine, but it is not commonly known that the leaves actually display a higher antioxidant activity than the berries! Goji leaves have also been shown to slow the absorption of sugar, which helps to reduce the workload on the kidneys.
Understand Herbalism in Helping Kidney Health
For those wondering what kind of herbs are good for kidney health, Bravo Tea’s Kidney Strong Tea is a time-honored well balanced tea formula for kidney health. It contains a premium blend of organically grown herbs from our farm in the Tibetan mountains.
Convenient Natural Kidney Cleansing at Home
Kidney Strong Tea is a favorite among our customers because it works so well to protect the health of the kidneys and easily enjoyed by brewing the tea at home. It is also affordable and it is caffeine free. Drinking this delicious and healthy tea can help regulate urinary functions, nurture and detoxify the kidneys. Kidney Strong is simply the best way to improve the health of the kidneys at home.
References:
1. “Pyrrosia petiolosa Extract Ameliorates Ethylene Glycol-Induced Urolithiasis in Rats byInhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response”, Zhou, F. and W. Xingshan.
2022 May. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/dm/2022/1913067/
2. “Molecular mechanism of Pyrrosia lingua in the treatment of nephrolithiasis: Networkpharmacology analysis and in vivo experimental verification”, Xu, X., et al. 2022 April.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35104754/
3. “Mechanistic Study of Schisandra chinensis Fruit Mixture Based on Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Experimental Validation to Improve the Inflammatory Response of DKD Through AGEs/RAGE Signaling Pathway”, Li, H., et al.
2023 February. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9983444/
4. “Potential of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. in Human Health and Nutrition: A Review of Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives”, Nowak, A., et al. 2019 February. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412213/
5. “Active Components and Pharmacological Effects of Cornus officinalis: Literature Review”, Xue G., et al. 2021 April. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8072387/
6. “Treatment of Diabetes Nephropathy in Mice by Germinating Seeds of Euryale ferox through Improving Oxidative Stress”, Wang, Y., et al. 2023 February. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9957029/
7. “Functional constituents of wild and cultivated Goji (L. barbarum L.) leaves: phytochemical characterization, biological profile, and computational studies”, Mocan, A., et al. 2017 January. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6009880/
8. National Kidney Foundation https://www.outsetmedical.com/patients/kidney-health-101/
9. Associates in Nephrology https://www.associatesinnephrologypc.com/2023/10/27/lifestyle-choices-for-kidney-health-diet-hydration-and-exercise-tips/
