Water Retention Prevention (Edema)

Best Single Herb: Juniper berries

Best Combinations: Dong quai, golden seal, juniper berries, uva ursi, parsley, ginger, marshmallow; cornsilk

Other Helpful Supplements: B-complex vitamins; trace mineral supplement

Possible Causes: Constipation; kidney problems; heart problems

Complementary Help: Bowel cleansing; low-protein diet

Retaining excess water in your body is uncomfortable. This problem seems to be more common in women than men. When you are holding excess water, you will notice your rings feel tight on your fingers, your abdomen may feel or look bloated, your ankles are swollen, and your face looks puffy. Ironically, these can be signs of dehydration. When your body is not receiving enough water, it protects you by holding onto excess water around your cells, causing your puffiness. So, the No. 1 remedy to stimulate the release of excess water is to drink more water!

Here are some causes of general water retention:

> Not drinking enough water.

> Eating too many spices, including spicy foods, sodium (salty) foods, MSG, potato chips, cheese, restaurant food, prepared foods, and sodas. Sodium makes you retain water, but does not hydrate the cells.

> Static lymph flow, from traveling, sitting for long periods of time in cars, or traveling in planes.

> Hormones: PMS, for instance, can cause a temporary change in your water balance.

> Constipation: The body retains water to protect you from the toxins floating around in the blood stream.

Edema is the technical term for water retention, but it is also used to refer to a more serious problem resulting from underlying disease or allergic reaction.

Some causes of edema (also referred to as dropsy) include:

> Kidney failure

> Heart failure

> Cirrhosis of the liver

> Acute nephritis

> Starvation

> Allergic reaction

> Steroid drug reaction

If you have any of these serious problems, you will need emergency care right away.

In cases of edema, your medical treatments will usually include the administration of synthetic diuretics to stimulate the kidneys to release the excess water. These diuretics deplete the body of potassium. Because potassium is a mineral found in the heart, the side effects of diuretics may be detrimental to the heart.

Warnings about the use of herbs

Other known side effects of diuretics include ringing in the ears, dizziness, rashes, itching, sensitivity to sunlight, diarrhea or constipation, muscle cramps (potassium is found in muscles, too), fever with sore throat, blurred vision, loss of appetite, increases in blood sugar, gout, numbness in hands or feet, and headaches. Report these symptoms to your prescribing physician immediately.

Let’s take a look at some herbs that can stimulate the kidneys to release excess water from the body without any toxic side effects.

Juniper Berries: Please Release Me, Let Me Go

Juniper berries (Juniperus communis) is a favorite herb remedy for those suffering from occasional water retention. Along with drinking plenty of pure water, juniper berries act as nature’s diuretic.

Many different types of junipers exist; following is a photo of one growing in front of my home. This photo was taken early in the spring, so no berries have shown up yet. But when they do, they are bluish-gray in color.

Four to six capsules a day should prove more than adequate for the average adult to get rid of excess water. Use juniper berries as a temporary remedy. You can use juniper daily up to six weeks without any problems, but this is a very strong herb, so stop taking it if you begin to have symptoms such as:

> Pain in the kidneys (the kidneys are located about mid-back, one on either side of the spine)

> Intestinal irritation or diarrhea

> Elevated blood pressure

> Rapid heartbeat

Fortunately, if you overdose on herbs, the symptoms subside shortly after you discontinue taking them. With drugs, the results can be fatal.

Juniper berries are used for more than just water retention. Here are some other great past uses — some of which are still used today:

> Chewing the berries before meals can help stimulate hydrochloric acid production in the stomach, which will aid your digestion.

> The berries may help clean out tar residues left in the lungs after you quit smoking.

> Native Americans used juniper as a form of birth control.

> The essential oil has been an effective bug repellent.

> Berries can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

> Juniper can bring on an overdue period.

> Juniper can help rid the body of parasites.

> Juniper can help in reducing inflammation associated with arthritis.

Warnings about the use of herbs

Juniper berries are effective and strong and should not be taken by pregnant women or small children. Although they possess antiseptic properties helpful against infection, juniper berries should not be taken ff you have a kidney infection, nor should you take them daily for more than six weeks.

Juniper also has been burned in Native American sweat lodges for purification, and the berries are used in the making of the alcohol gin.

Dam, It Worked! — In the Flow with Herbs

Juniper berries sure are popular as a natural diuretic, but some other herbs serve just as well as herbal diuretics, including these:

> Uva ursi

> Parsley

> Cornsilk

> Buchu

> Cranberries

A popular combination of herbs used to support the kidneys and serve as a natural diuretic is listed in the table at the end of the chapter.

If you are constipated, your body will hold excess water; read post for some effective herbal laxatives.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

The B-complex vitamins will help you release excess water retention. If you have kidney problems, try a low-protein (low-acid) diet to take the burden off your kidneys.

Nail Problems: Nailing Down a Cure

Nails, Biting, Brittle

Best Single Herb: Horsetail

Best Combinations: Horsetail, rosemary, hyssop, aloe vera, ginkgo biloba; kelp

Other Helpful Supplements: Zinc; vitamin E; food enzymes with hydrochloric acid; vitamin C; calcium/magnesium with vitamin D

Possible Causes: Weak digestion; thyroid problems; malnutrition

Complementary Help: Support digestion

My fingernails are the first to remind me when I haven’t been getting enough herbal silicon, calcium, zinc, and other minerals. If I run out of my daily herbal supplements, in less than 10 days my fingernails begin to tear, break, and bend — even though I keep them very short! If healing begins from the inside out, as Hering’s Law of Cure states, then I also believe the opposite is true: that illness begins on the inside first, and the outward signs show up last.

The body has the ability to prioritize incoming nutrients. In other words, it will take care of your most critical organs first with the nutrients you feed it. But when the incoming supply runs low, then the less critical things, such as fingernails and hair, suffer. These outward signs are a warning signal that gives you clues to nourish yourself to avoid inner deterioration.

Just like the rest of our structural system, the nails, skin, and hair need minerals for nourishment. One of the main minerals for these parts (considered part of the structural system) is silicon. Silicon is a natural substance found in nature that is extremely tough but flexibly resilient. Think of the seaweed and the herb kelp, which grows in long, rope-like extensions and sways in the sea with the movement of the waves. Kelp is extremely flexible, but the next time some washes up on the beach, try to tear it in half. It’s almost like trying to tear a thick telephone book in half! Kelp is rich in silicon, which gives it strength but also flexibility. This is how we want our hair and skin to be. Nails will be firm but should not be brittle; brittle nails will break and fracture frequently under stress. Silicon gives some flexibility to the nails to help them withstand impact.

Terms related to herbs or holistic health

Hering’s Law of Cure states, “All healing begins from the head down, the inside out, and in the reverse order as the symptoms have first been acquired.”

Horsetail for Biting Brittle Nails

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is one of the richest herbs in silicon, and this is why I have chosen it as the best single herb for nail problems. This plant is also known as shavegrass or bottle brush; its spiny projections stick up and out and resemble a brush that could be used to clean bottles, which is where it may have earned this name.

The Latin translation of this herb literally means “horse tail of the fields,” and if you have ever felt a horse’s tail, you will notice how strong and thick these hairs are. This is an example of how silica, a component in silicone, gives hardness to hair.

Terms related to herbs or holistic health

Silica is a compound of silicon and oxygen. It is silicon that gives the hard outer coating to vegetables such as corn, rice, and barley.

Horsetail has been used traditionally as an herbal remedy for torn ligaments; arthritis of all types (especially rheumatoid arthritis); inflammations; skin, hair, and nail deficiencies; and bacteria and fungal infections. It also has been used as a diuretic and as a foot bath for stinky or sweaty feet. Horsetail is rich in many minerals and contains trace amounts of gold, which has proven helpful for rheumatism.

Other herbs rich in silicon, calcium, zinc, and other minerals good for the hair, skin, and nails include: rosemary, hyssop, aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, and kelp.

Nail Readings

The nails, skin, and hair are all outward reflections of your inner health, and we can learn to read these signs with practice and study. For instance, some people read faces for signs of health: Who hasn’t seen someone who is stressed and over-tired without bags or circles under their eyes? This can also indicate liver or kidney stress. The teeth reflect how nourished we are, as the body can rob calcium from these areas to feed other, more critical body parts.

Warnings about the use of herbs

Large amounts of horsetail may be toxic, so try to find this great herb mixed with other herbs designed for the structural system. Using this herb over long periods of time can deplete vitamin B1 from the body. This herb may also be somewhat abrasive to the digestive tract and should be taken only occasionally, or in small amounts mixed with other herbs.

The nails are no different; they are alive and always growing, and they’re quick to show us what might be going on in the body.

Here are some examples:

• Dry, brittle nails that break easily could indicate a deficiency in silicon, calcium, and zinc.
• Ridges along nails could mean that you have poor digestion or lack hydrochloric acid. Try a food enzyme with hydrochloric acid added for a few weeks, and see if you notice a change. Also consider herbal sources of minerals.
• White spots on fingernails may indicate a zinc deficiency. Beware of taking too much zinc, however; about 45-50 mg daily is more than sufficient unless specific conditions apply (such as taking excess calcium). See your doctor or holistic practitioner if you’re taking zinc supplements.
• Thin, flat, spoon-shaped nails can be a sign of a B-12 deficiency.
• A deep blue color to the nails may indicate a lack of oxygen in the tissues due to asthma or emphysema.
• Nails that come off or that separate from the fingers may indicate problems with the thyroid.
• Thick cuticles can indicate poor digestion of protein. Try food enzymes containing hydrochloric acid, marshmallow and pepsin and eat less protein.
• Horizontal ridges across nails can indicate a lack of calcium. However, the nails grow from about a quarter-inch below your nail bed (toward your finger joints). If you bump or damage this nail bed, the impact may make your nail(s) grow out with ridges. I imagine this as the ripple effect, like when you throw a stone into a still pond. The image really makes me think about how we are made up of energy!
• A yellowing and thickening of nails can be a deposit of calcium or other minerals that your body is not absorbing or utilizing properly. Work with a holistic practitioner to help with your absorption, and read the posts for hints on herbs for better digestion. Also check for fungus growth under nails if you see a yellow color. Another possibility is a poor circulatory system that is not fully bringing circulation to the nails.
• Nail biting is usually due to a lack of minerals that nourish the nervous system. You may subconsciously be trying to eat your minerals from your fingernails. To end this habit, begin taking some herbal remedies to nourish the rest of your body and see posts for more on anxiety.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

Nutritional sources of zinc include capsicum, spirulina, psyllium, safe, garlic, eyebright, bilberry, and gotu kola. Zinc-rich foods include pumpkin seeds, goat’s milk/whey, brewers yeast, and whole grains.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

Excessive nail-biting can be curbed, especially in children with an herbal spray made from any bitter herb, such as cascara sagrada, gentian, or turkey rhubarb. Make a tea from the bitter herb, and spray onto the fingertips frequently. In the meantime, fix the real problem by nourishing yourself or your child with herbs rich in minerals.