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Diuretics, whether natural diuretics or synthetic, increase the amount of urine you would normally excrete. Ordinarily, the kidneys make urine by filtering out water and sodium and potassium ions from the blood. Through a complex process, the kidneys return an exact amount of sodium and potassium ions and some water to the blood stream so these levels will remain constant. The rest of the water goes into the bladder as urine.
When blood flow to the kidneys declines due to illness, they respond by retaining water, which is why diuretics are prescribed. As you probably know, doctors also prescribe diuretics to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and liver disease, all of which cause water retention.
You don’t say why you are interested in natural diuretics. However, this question often comes up when people are trying to lose weight. If that’s your intent, you should know that any weight loss you see as a result of diuretic use will only be temporary. Prolonged use or abuse of any diuretics without medical supervision can lead to dehydration, which can cause kidney damage and an imbalance in normal levels of electrolytes (e.g., sodium and potassium), which are vital to heart, kidney, and liver function. When electrolytes are out of balance, you’re at high risk for heart failure and sudden death.
On that cautionary note, I can tell you that if you want to know how to get rid of water retention and eliminate excess fluid due to pre-menstrual bloating, your best bet is to avoid foods high in sodium.
Diuretic foods can include the following: beverages containing caffeine and alcohol, which have a diuretic effect, and several other diuretic foods including celery, onion, eggplant, asparagus, and watermelon are said to have a diuretic effect. In addition, the herbs hawthorn, corn silk, and parsley can be used as diuretics in natural medicine. Of these, hawthorn, (crataegus oxycanthus) is the most powerful. If you have a medical condition for which diuretics are prescribed, you would be much better off following your physician’s recommendation than trying to treat yourself with alternative remedies.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
My feet were puffed up like pierogis. New York City was experiencing a record-breaking heat wave and I was a week beyond my due date. I was anxious to have the baby.
For relief for my swollen feet, I turned to a bit of Old World magic I'd learned from my grandmother and sent my husband out for a head of cabbage. When he returned, I ate some of the cabbage and wrapped a few of the raw leaves around my puffy feet. I put on my socks over the cabbage, elevated my feet, shut my eyes, and let the cabbage work its magic.
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Besides being extremely nutritious, cabbage is also a natural diuretic. Diuretics help your body get rid of salt and water mainly by stimulating your kidneys to release sodium into your urine. Water is then pulled from your blood to concentrate the sodium levels. That produces more urine and decreases the amount of fluid flowing through your blood vessels, providing relief from water retention if you're suffering from edema, high blood pressure, and other conditions where chronic water retention presents an issue.
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But it’s not just chronic conditions that can be helped by diuretics. They can help relieve bloating after a salty meal or from monthly hormonal fluctuations.
Over-the-counter diuretics are available in pill form, but there are a couple of reasons you might want to avoid them. While generally safe for occasional use, they can have side effects like hypokalemia, caused by too little potassium, which can lead to heart problems. Other potential side effects include dehydration, muscle cramps, dizziness and rashes. You can avoid these by pairing over-the-counter diuretics with foods high in potassium like bananas, sunflower seeds, apricots, or oranges.
Happily, natural diuretics — like my cabbage — can offer relief from water retention and bloating without taking any pills at all.
"In general, veggies and fruit are high in water and potassium (and some are higher in magnesium and calcium), which can help to offset the constriction of your blood vessels that make you feel bloated when you’ve had excess sodium," explains Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute. "Choosing foods like grapes, celery, watermelon, other types of melon, cherries, apples, grapefruit, oranges and lots of leafy greens is automatically your best bet for feeling better, faster. While no single food in isolation is ever a miracle cure, making sure to add more of these foods to your day will set you up for greater success."
Here are nine natural diuretics you can snag in the produce aisle of your grocery store.
Asparagus
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From the time of the ancient Greek and Romans, asparagus has been used for its diuretic properties. The vegetable’s diuretic effects come from the amino acid asparagine and has been used to treat swelling, rheumatism, and premenstrual water retention. The distinct smell of urine after eating asparagus comes from asparagusic acid, which is broken down into a sulfur-containing compound when digested.
Beets
Beets are high in potassium, which helps eliminate fluid. (Here's more about why beets are great and how to grow them.) Betanin, which gives beets their color, has been associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein, making beets an anti-inflammatory as well.
Cabbage
Cabbage can help reduce water weight. The popular "cabbage soup diet" deploys the diuretic properties of cabbage, along with its high fiber and water content to support weight loss. The Romans used cabbage for hangovers and to help alcoholics "dry out." Red cabbage is also an anti-inflammatory because it contains anthocyanins.
Remember: If your feet are always swollen or you're regularly retaining water, a visit to your doctor is a good idea to check for an underlying medical condition.
Celery
Hippocrates recommended celery to eliminate excess fluid. Now scientists have identified that the phthalides in celery contribute to its diuretic effect. Uric acid levels in the body are reduced by the COX-2 inhibitors in celery, which makes it an ideal treatment option for gout edema, which results from excess uric acid crystals collecting in the joints.
Cranberries
Native Americans identified the diuretic effects of cranberries, using them to treat a number of conditions including scurvy, which they believed was caused by too much salt. Cranberry juice has been used by women worldwide to prevent and treat UTIs and other bladder disorders, although research results have been mixed.
While the jury is out on the proanthocyanidins in cranberries and their antibacterial effect, as a diuretic, cranberries are especially beneficial for removing fluid without eliminating potassium.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers have sulfur and silicon which increase urination by stimulating the kidneys into better removal of uric acid. Loaded with water and potassium and low in sodium, cucumbers also inhibit the production of nitric acid and inflammatory enzymes, thus reducing swelling. Cucumber slices can be used topically to soothe under-eye puffiness.
Garlic
The same sulfur-based chemical that gives garlic its distinctive smell, allicin, gives it medicinal properties as well. The International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research found garlic to be effective as a diuretic. It is also works a potent antioxidant and contributes to the breakdown of fats.
Parsley
Parsley, especially as a tea, is a traditional remedy for water retention. Parsley reduces the reabsorption of sodium and potassium salts in the kidney. This causes increased urine volume, which helps reduce bloating.
Watermelon
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Watermelon, with its 92% water content and high potassium content, also has diuretic properties. It contains the amino acid citrulline, which relaxes blood vessels and keeps fluids from leaking into nearby tissue, thus reducing the retention of water.
Weight loss, health and body image are complex subjects — before deciding to go on this diet, we invite you gain a broader perspective by reading our exploration into the hazards of diet culture.