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.

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