Cranberry Juice for Kidney Stones
November 13, 2021
Kidney stones are deposits that form in your kidneys and can be very painful to pass. Some suggest that cranberry juice may be helpful for getting rid of kidney stones. In this article, we’ll explore common suggestion more and also discuss what is the best way to treat kidney stones naturally.
What Are Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are deposits — sometimes called calculi — that form in one or both of your kidneys. Kidney stones are usually hard and develop when your urine becomes supersaturated with insoluble salts and minerals, like calcium, oxalate, or phosphate. Most kidney stones are about the size of a chickpea, but they can also be as small as a grain of sand and as large as a golf ball. Small stones can pass through your urinary tract but you might need surgery for the larger ones. A kidney stone’s texture can also be smooth or jagged.
To learn about herbs that are good for kidney health read our blog "Best Herbs for Improving Kidney and Liver Health."
How Common Are Kidney Stones?
Research suggests that one in ten people will get a kidney stone during their lifetime. They are far more common in adults but they can occur in children as well, and for some reason, tend to be more prevalent in children with asthma.
Who is At Risk of Getting Kidney Stones?
Statistics show that the people most likely to get kidney stones are in their 30s and 40s, and they are more common in European (White) men, although anyone can develop kidney stones.
According to Cleveland Clinic, the biggest risk factors for developing kidney stones are:
- Not drinking enough liquids.
- Having a diet that includes the substances that form the stones (phosphate, for example, is in meat, fish, beans and other protein-rich foods).
- Having a family history of kidney stones.
- Having a blockage in your urinary tract.
Cleveland Clinic also shares that certain medical conditions can increase your risk of developing stones, because they may increase or decrease levels of the substances that make up a kidney stone. These conditions can include:
- Hypercalciuria (high calcium levels in your urine)
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Osteoperosis
- Gout and cystic fibrosis
- Kidney cysts
- Parathyroid disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Chronic diarrhea
- Some surgical procedures, including weight loss surgery or other stomach or intestine surgeries.
Research on kidney stones has also found that certain foods may put you at greater risk, such as:
- Animal proteins in meat
- High sodium diets
- High amounts of sugars in the diet (fructose, sucrose and corn syrup)
What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones can exist for years without showing any symptoms. Smaller kidney stones may not cause any symptoms and may simply pass in your urine. However, as kidney stones move and grow they can cause symptoms such as:
- Pain in your lower back or side of your body
- Bloody urine
- Painful urination
- Inability to urinate
- Frequent urination
- Smelly or cloudy urine
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever or chills
Can Cranberries Help with Kidney Stones? Is Cranberry Juice Good for Kidney Stones?
So, does cranberry juice help with kidney stones? Cranberries have long been used for urinary tract infections (UTI) and other renal system conditions, and many people claim that they also help with kidney stones and often drink cranberry juice for kidney stones.
Cranberries help with UTI’s because of phytonutrients in them that keep harmful microorganisms from adhering to the urethra lining, therefore promoting normal urinary tract health. These same phytochemicals may also prevent kidney-forming crystals and stone-promoting harmful organisms from sticking to kidney cells. If they don’t stick together, they don’t form stones, and can more easily and painlessly get eliminated from your system in urine.
There is another benefit connecting cranberry juice and kidney stones. Cranberries also positively affect the chemical composition of your urine, including pH, volume, and calcium excretion. Overall, they help with the issues that can lead to kidney stone formation.
Still, there is not enough research to confirm whether they can get rid of kidney stones.
Get Rid of Kidney Stones with Organic Herbs
Medicinal herbs have many great uses. There are certain herbal extracts that can help detox the kidneys, improve kidney health, and assist in the passing of kidney stones. Our Kidney & Gallbladder Cleanse Tonic uses 4 clinically-studied herbs that help to break down kidney stones and eliminate them from the urinary tract.
If you are wanting to improve renal health and eliminate kidney stones, then using these clinically-studied herbs may be a better solution than cranberry juice. However, cranberry juice may also be consumed as support to these medicinal herbs.
The herbs in our Our Kidney & Gallbladder Cleanse Tonic have been shown to dissolve kidney stones, prevent kidney stone formation, relax the ureters to allow kidney stones to pass more easily, and improve overall kidney health, helping to restore the damage that kidney stones cause to the kidneys. Our formula also uses a therapeutic extraction process that is able to concentrate the active ingredients into a therapeutic liquid extract that is significantly more potent than regular tea powders or capsules.
Summary
Kidney stones are deposits that form in your kidneys and can be very painful to pass. Kidney stones develop when your urine becomes supersaturated with insoluble salts and minerals, like calcium, oxalate, or phosphate. Most kidney stones are about the size of a chickpea, but they can also be as small as a grain of sand and as large as a golf ball. Small stones can pass through your urinary tract but you might need surgery for the larger ones.
Many people recommend using cranberry juice for kidney stones. Cranberries have long been used as a natural remedy for UTI’s and other renal issues. The phytonutrients in cranberries may be able to prevent kidney stone formation and clear blockages in the urinary tract. However, more research is needed to verify how effective cranberries are for removing stones.
If you are wanting to improve renal health and eliminate kidney stones, then using clinically-studied herbs may be a better solution than cranberry juice. The herbs in our Our Kidney & Gallbladder Cleanse formula have been shown to dissolve kidney stones, prevent kidney stone formation, relax the ureters to allow kidney stones to pass more easily, and improve overall kidney health, helping to restore the damage that kidney stones cause to the kidneys.
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