Supplement for kidney health & detox

Kidney Detox is a high-quality supplement formulated to promote renal health. It provides the benefits from the best natural ingredients for enhancing urinary function and reducing the risk of kidney stones: dandelion, noni, vitamin B6, chanca piedra, magnesium, horsetail and phytic acid.

Who is Kidney Detox aimed at?

Kidney Detox is recommended for anyone who wants to optimise the function of their kidneys and the overall health of their urinary system. In particular, it’s aimed at people:

• Who have already had one or more kidney stones.
• Who have a family history of kidney stones.
• Who have high blood pressure (this doubles the risk of kidney stones).
• Who suffer from type 2 diabetes (a disease which also increases the risk).
• Who are overweight.
• Who suffer from metabolic conditions such as coeliac disease, hyperoxaluria (excess oxalate in urine), hypercalciuria (excess calcium in urine) or renal tubular acidosis (accumulation of acid in the body).
• Who suffer from attacks of gout.
• Who get frequent urine infections.
• Who have intestinal inflammatory disease (which can increase oxalate absorption).

What exactly are kidney stones?

Kidney stones are solid crystals that form in the kidneys, varying in size from a few millimetres to several centimetres in diameter. The smallest of them pass unhindered through the various parts of the urinary system and are eliminated without causing any symptoms. However, the largest (accounting for 20% of them) can obstruct very small tubes such as the ureters, causing intense pain: this is called renal colic and it’s a relatively common problem. It’s estimated that over 10% of people will suffer an attack of renal colic at some point in their life. It’s more common after the age of 40, and affects men slightly more than women.

Kidney stones are formed by the crystallisation of mineral salts (in 80% of cases, calcium, or more specifically, calcium oxalate) and too high a concentration of acid in urine. Predisposing factors include not drinking enough water (leaving urine insufficiently diluted) and eating too much sugar or protein. However, the exact cause is often unknown. The risks to health associated with kidney stones are significant and medical supervision is therefore vital.

What is in Kidney Detox?

Kidney Detox offers the benefits of a synergistic combination with the most scientifically-validated natural ingredients for supporting normal kidney function and preventing the formation of kidney stones.

Magnesium

Magnesium is invaluable in minimising the risk of kidney stones. It acts in two ways: it binds to calcium oxalate in the gut, reducing its absorption by the body, and it increases calcium’s solubility in urine, considerably slowing down the crystallisation process.

A double-blind clinical study has demonstrated magnesium’s efficacy in reducing the recurrence of kidney stones (1). Other research (2) has shown that poorly-absorbed forms of magnesium such as magnesium hydroxide produce less favourable results. That’s why we have chosen one of the most bioavailable forms – magnesium glycinate – for this formulation.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal 5 phosphate)

This water-soluble vitamin is essential for the body to function properly, especially for the metabolization of amino acids and proteins. One study has shown that a higher intake of vitamin B6 (from either the diet or supplements) clearly reduces the risk of kidney stones (11). This effect is related to the vitamin’s ability to reduce urinary excretion of calcium oxalates.

Vitamin B6 is present in the diet in several forms (pyridoxine, pyridoxal...) but all are converted in the body into the active form, pyridoxal 5 phosphate. It is this optimally-bioavailable form that we’ve selected for this product.

Horsetail extract (Horsetail equisetum)

Horsetail is without doubt one of the best natural diuretics available. It has been used to treat kidney stones and urinary problems by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, and by Western medicine from the 17th century onwards, as well as by several native American tribes.

Its purifying, detoxifying and diuretic properties are attributed to its high content of flavonoids and saponins (3). Some studies suggest it also helps to reduce inflammation of the urinary tract and flush out existing small kidney stones, primarily by increasing the pH and decreasing calcium oxalate precipitation. One clinical study showed that horsetail extract was able to increase urinary output and prevent kidney stones (4).

Note: it’s safer to use extracts than the actual plant as it contains an enzyme called thiaminase liable to reduce the body’s vitamin B1 levels. Kidney Detox is, of course, free from any thiaminase.

Dandelion extract (Dandelion taraxacum)

Dandelion’s medicinal virtues have been described for centuries in many of the world’s pharmacopoeia, including those of Arab, Native American, Indian and Western European populations. It’s primarily used to improve liver and kidney function and to prevent problems with water retention (5). It’s also recognised by ESCOP as a natural complement to treating any problem where increasing urinary elimination is desirable.

The mechanism responsible for dandelion’s diuretic effect has yet to be fully understood but it’s likely to be related to its high content in potassium, flavonoids and substances that encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

Noni extract (Morinfa citrifolia)

This fruit, the juice of which is known as the ‘aspirin of the Ancients’, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 2000 years. It contains numerous antioxidants which help reduce the risk of degenerative problems affecting kidney function and which stimulate the immune system. But it’s the fruit’s high levels of enzymes and potassium that make it a powerful renal detoxicant, able to dilate small blood vessels.

Extract of chanca piedra (Phyllanthus niruri)

This Indian plant is renowned for its ability to cleanse the liver and kidneys. It’s known as the ’stonebreaker plant’ because it’s a natural and highly reliable aid to preventing and eliminating urinary stones. It makes the stones smooth and more brittle, and facilitates their passage through the urinary tract by means of a dilation process (6-9).

Inositol hexaphosphate (phytic acid)

Phytic acid has had something of a bad press because it binds easily to minerals, but it is precisely this property that gives it the ability to reduce kidney stone formation (10). It’s a completely natural compound found in high concentrations in cereal grains, pulses, oil seeds and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and cassava.