Another natural remedy has been brought to light to help those suffering from kidney stones. Nigella sativa, also known as black seed was recently examined in a study with 60 patients, showing it can help treat or at least reduce the size of painful kidney stones. The kidneys filter the blood and remove toxic materials and waste products, allowing it to be passed out in urine.

Affecting 10% of people world-wide, kidney stones are hard deposits of salts and minerals, collecting in the patient’s urine. While they can be painful when passed, they normally do not
cause permanent damage. Annual health care costs are about $2 billion. Symptoms typically do not show until they enter into the urethra. When they do, a patient may feel severe pain in the groin and/or side, blood in urine, vomiting and nausea, pus in the urine, reduced amount of urine excreted, burning sensation during urination, persistent urge to urinate, fever and chills if there is an infection. Complications can occur because of these.

Kidney stones can block the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder. This can obstruct the path that urine uses to leave the body. Research has also shown kidney stones have a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Kidney stones can be caused by not drinking enough water. They can also be symptoms of conditions like Crohn’s disease, a urinary tract infection, and other conditions.

Black seed comes from Southern Europe and North Africa. The study’s objective was to evaluate the effectiveness in dissolving kidney stones. 60 patients were given 500 milligrams black seeds or placebos to be taken twice a day for 10 weeks. Participants were between the ages of 20 to 60 years old and had stones larger than 5 millimeters.

Stones sizes were determined by sonograph. The black seed group showed 44.4% excreted their stones completely. Stone size decreased in 51.8% of all cases, while only 3.7% had no change at all. In the placebo group, 15.3% excreted their stones, with 11.5% having a reduction in size. 57.6% had no change in size. For more of the latest on studies related to kidney problems of all kinds, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.