Healthy kidneys are vital for the health of the body. They help remove toxins and maintain hydration and mineral levels in the body. However, with unhealthy food and lifestyle habits, sometimes toxins accumulate in the kidneys and cause kidney stones. Fortunately, Ayurveda has a painless cure for kidney stones, involving herbs, home remedies and diet and lifestyle changes.
Also known as renal-lithiasis and nephrolithiasis, kidney stones are small deposits of minerals and salts that get accumulated inside the kidneys. These stones are extremely painful and can cause many health problems.
The main causes of kidney stones are less consumption of water, postponement of urinal urges, eating foods that lead to gas or bloating, irregular daily regimes, sedentary lifestyle, eating foods with preservatives, excessive consumption of alcohol and urinary tract infection.
When you have kidney stones, you tend to feel excruciating pain in the kidney area that may also shift towards the abdomen and spine. The other symptoms of kidney stones include nausea, restlessness, bloating, frequent urge to urinate, painful urination, and fever.
Ayurveda describes kidney stones as Ashmari, Ashma meaning stones and Ari meaning enemy. It is also commonly called Mutrashmari and is included in the diseases of Mutra Vaha Srotas or urinary channels. In Ayurveda, kidney stones are considered one of the Ashta Mahagadas (8 deadly diseases) and therefore require immediate medical attention.
According to Ayurveda, when an imbalanced Vata leads to the drying of Kapha in the body, it causes kidney stones to form.
The Ayurvedic treatment for kidney stones vastly depends on the size, shape, location and strength of the stones. If the stones are small in size, they can be removed through dietary changes and adequate water consumption. However, when the stones are medium-sized (larger than a grain of sand), Ayurvedic herbs are used to remove the stones.
In the case of large stones, Ayurveda recommends using flush therapy or invasive surgical methods.
Ayurveda advises Panchakarma treatment to prevent and treat kidney stones. It is a cleansing process that involves five therapies to remove toxins from the body and improve the body’s innate healing ability.
Ayurveda also recommends many herbs to remove kidney stones, such as Punarnava (Boerhaavia Diffusa), Shigru (Moringa Oleifera), Pashanabheda (Bergenia ligulata), Kantkari (Solanum xanthocarpum), Bakul (Mimusops Elengi), Jasmine (Jasminum auriculatum) and Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum L.).
Your Ayurvedic practitioner may also prescribe some herbal formulations to treat kidney stones, such as Gokshuradi Guggulu, Punarnavadi Kashaya, Varanadi Kashayam, Shilajatu Vati, Gokshura Churnam, Varanasavam and Gomutra Haritaki Lehyam.
Ayurveda has a holistic treatment for kidney stones. Primarily, it involves using dietary regulations, lifestyle practices and home remedies to remove the stones from the body. However, in the case of medium-sized stones, your Ayurvedic practitioner may also recommend you to take some herbs or use Panchakarma therapy to treat the condition.