Herbal Supplements and Kidney Disease

There are always comments made about herbal supplements here and I thought it might be time to post an article from The National Kidney Foundation on the subject. Hopefully, this will clarify things a bit for some of you who need more information.

kidney.org/atoz/content/her...

[rabbit01]

Well that was pretty categorical. It's amazing how many people have advised me of herbal supplements and herbs to use. Turmeric powder and lipoic acid being often quoted. Not only do such things not help it turns out they may make it worse. Thanks for posting.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

People should also be careful about herbal teas. "Sleepy Time" is a commonly used tea to help people sleep but contains chamomile, spearmint, lemongrass, tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn, and rosebuds. Chamomile is a blood thinner just like aspirin or warfarin. Lemon grass is not good for the kidneys. Be careful of websites that toot the benefits of any product that is supposed to be a miracle. Always check with your doctor.

[MissMarvel]

Thanks for the link. I’m new to CKD and this was good for me to read. I’ve always preferred herbal remedies to pharmaceutical if possible. I have to admit, I’m a little bummed that I may need to stop taking them. They have helped greatly with my insomnia and depression. But, like you and I have previously discussed, risks and benefits must be weighed. I think I’m gonna be on info-overload for awhile.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to MissMarvel]

The thing is to become informed. Some products might be ok, but I am not going to say what. Before you take anything, check many resources, especially a doctor and/or certified dietician. Just remember that herbs are medicine and without the control and information can be as detrimental to your health as any overdose. But under proper supervision, may still be a viable choice for optimal health. I use a supplement for sleep but only when I need it and with the smallest dose. I like you, will also being doing extensive research on herbs in general because I too like them over pharmaceuticals. Do your personal research and let us know what you discover.

[curleytop1]

Thank you for providing the link to the information on herbal supplements. I am now wondering if I should continue to use dried herbs when cooking to give flavour to things like soups (I always discard as much liquid as possible), omelettes etc. I just use the common herbs like parsley, thyme, sage or mint with black pepper when applicable. I must say if these should also be restricted I will have to retrain my taste buds to accept the blandness - no mean feat! Best wishes Curleytop1.

[Hidden in reply to curleytop1]

Remember you don't want to eliminate everything. Cutting way back and just using something to season (not sodium) a meal couldn't be too bad just be sure to bring the products with you to your Renal Dietitian and discuss how much you use and how often. I use no extra sodium and limit the other items I need to watch, like potassium, phosphorous, and calcium. I look at the ingredients in my supplements (vitamins, iron, AREDS 2, and melatonin) and I use some of the Mrs. Dash products which are salt-free. I had to give up going out to eat because of restaurant prep but I really try to use as many natural flavorings as I can to make the food palatable.

[Northfields]

The other dangerous ingredient in teas or elswhere is black licorice. It took me two weeks to work out why my blood pressure shot up every day by 30%. Eventually I realised it was caused by eating one licorice caramel a day.

It's important to check medicines with a nephrologist rather than a pharmacist or other kind of doctor. My nephrologists specialise in treating kidney failure caused by herbal treatments prescribed by other doctors. In some cases the doctors killed their patients with herbal supplements.

Seasoning with herbs is something completely different: the National Kidney Foundation recommends herbs for seasoning to compensate for not using salt.