240 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition
- Avoid eggs and fi sh in particular, as they have very high oxalic acid
levels, but also stop eating animal fats and protein because they will
interfere with oxalate absorption. - Avoid salt, alcohol, refi ned foods, fried foods, and sugars.
- Foods rich in natural silicon will help maintain a stone-free urinary
system. Silicon is found in the skins of organically grown grains,
fruits, and vegetables, particularly oats, radishes, and garlic; in unpol-
luted seaweeds; and in bee pollen. Foods rich in vitamin A will also
help: melon, pumpkin, yams, and carrots. - Drink plenty of water to ensure a constant fl ushing of the entire uri-
nary system. Choose water with low or no mineral content. Distilled
water is free from any minerals, so it fl ushes through at a faster rate.
A good substitute for distilled water is springwater. Sometimes add
quite large quantities of fresh lemon juice, as this will ease the pain. - Drink barley water three times daily^ —^ see chapter 4 for the recipe.
f Occasionally, stone formation (or, indeed, urinary infections) can be
caused when the urine fl ows backward because the bladder is not
emptying suffi ciently. Diuretic herbs like dandelion root and leaf will
largely solve this problem.
f To start dissolving the stones and ease their journey through the
body, use equal amounts of herbs like gravel root and hydrangea root,
combined with demulcents like marshmallow root or corn silk; they
help prevent infl ammation and bleeding. You can soak the herbs in
apple juice overnight and simmer them. Drink the liquid throughout
the day — at least three tablespoons at half-hourly intervals. Continue
for a few days. Even the hardest calculi will eventually turn into softer
balls with no hard edges, which can then be more easily passed.
f If your immune system is low, take olive leaf or echinacea root along
with other immune-supportive herbs. Take Siberian ginseng root
over the longer term.
~ Take baths and massage with geranium, juniper, chamomile, and
sweet fennel essential oils.
~ A kidney cleanse will be vital (see chapter 6).
~ A sedate lifestyle with little or no exercise encourages the accumula-
tion of calcium in the bloodstream. Exercise will redirect it into the
bones.
A stone stuck anywhere at awkward entrances and bends in the kidneys,
urethra, or bladder is extremely painful. Most people contact their doctor
or arrange to be taken to the emergency room immediately if the pain is
unbearable, but while waiting for professional help to arrive,
diseases 240