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Alternative Names: Kidney Root, Trumpet Weed, Gravel Weed, Joe Pye Weed, Jopi Weed, Hempweed, Queen of the Meadow Root, Purple Boneset, Tall Boneset.
Gravel Root is used primarily for kidney stones or gravel. In urinary infections, such as cystitis and urethritis, Gravel Root is said to be quite beneficial.
History; Source
Gravel Root is native to the New World and has been used by Native American healers for centuries. Gravel Root has been used for kidney-related trouble, such as kidney stones and urinary infections, for centuries. It was used to treat typhus and other ailments by the Native Americans and early settlers and is still considered a safe and effective diuretic.
Gravel root was used by the native North American Indians as a diaphoretic to induce perspiration and break a fever. The plant was quickly adopted by the white settlers and still finds a use in modern herbalism.
The leaves and flowering stems are harvested in the summer before the buds open and are dried for later use. The roots are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.
Function; Reasons For Use
Gravel Root exhibits diuretic, antilithic and antirheumatic properties. The whole plant, but especially the root, is astringent, diuretic, nervine and tonic. It works particularly on the genito-urinary system and the uterus and is especially valuable as a diuretic and stimulant, as well as an astringent tonic.
A tea made from the roots and leaves has been used to eliminate stones from the urinary tract, to treat urinary incontinence in children, cystitis, urethritis, impotence and other conditions. A Dr. Ellingwood, writing in the early 20th century, considered it to have the following symptomatology:
"Irritation of the bladder in women from displacement and chronic inflammation of the uterus; and suppression of urine, partial or complete, during or after pregnancy."
He recommended Gravel Root in the following conditions: dropsy, strangury, gravel, hematuria, disease of the kidney and bladder from an excess of uric acid, chronic endometriosis, leukorrhoea, chronic uterine disease, threatened abortion, ovarian and uterine atony, dysmenorrhoea, dysuria, constant desire to urinate, intermittent fever and severe bone pains. For kidney stones or gravel, Gravel Root combines well with Hydrangea.
Gravel Root is also said to be helpful in treating rheumatism and gout by increasing the removal of waste from the kidneys.
Directions
Recommended Dosage: Take two 600mg capsules, one to two times each day with water at mealtimes. Do not exceed recommended dosage.
Counter-Indicators and Warnings
Gravel Root should not be used in conjunction with prescription medications, and it should not be taken by persons with current or past liver disease.
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Gravel Root can help with the following:
KEY | | Highly recommended |
GLOSSARY
Astringent
Agent causing contraction, especially after topical application.
Atony
In botany, lack of muscle tone of the supportive musculature of the bladder sphincter, resulting in incontinence.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
Cystitis
Inflammation of the urinary bladder.
Diaphoretic
Sudorific, an agent promoting sweating.
Diuretic (Diuretics)
An agent increasing urine flow, causing the kidneys to excrete more than the usual amount of sodium, potassium and water.
Dysuria
Painful urination.
Endometriosis
A condition whereby endometrial tissue builds up in parts of the uterus where it does not belong or areas outside of the uterus, forming 'ectopic implants'. Unlike the normal tissue lining the uterus, ectopic tissue has no place to shed in response to a decline in estrogen and progesterone. This results in debris and blood accumulating at the site of the implant leading to inflammation, scarring and adhesions that ultimately cause symptoms and complications. Symptoms typically occur in a cyclic fashion with menstrual periods, the most common being pelvic pain and cramping before and during periods; pain during intercourse; inability to conceive; fatigue; painful urination during periods; gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, and nausea.
Gout
A disease characterized by an increased blood uric acid level and sudden onset of episodes of acute arthritis.
Hematuria
Blood in the urine.
Hydrops (Dropsy)
An excessive accumulation of clear, watery fluid in any of the tissues or cavities of the body; edema, ascites, anasarca. Usually associated with weak heart performance.
Incontinence (Incontinent)
The inability to retain urine in the bladder for a reasonable length of time. It is can be caused by urethral irritation, loss of tone to the basement muscle of the bladder (the trigone), scarification or growths on the urethral lining, nerve damage, or emotional stress.
Kidney Stone (Kidney Gravel, Kidney Stones)
A stone (concretion) in the kidney. If the stone is large enough to block the tube (ureter) and stop the flow of urine from the kidney, it must be removed by surgery or other methods. Also called Renal Calculus. Symptoms usually begin with intense waves of pain as a stone moves in the urinary tract. Typically, a person feels a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side in the area of the kidney or in the lower abdomen. Sometimes nausea and vomiting occur. Later, pain may spread to the groin. The pain may continue if the stone is too large to pass; blood may appear in the urine and there may be the need to urinate more often or a burning sensation during urination. If fever and chills accompany any of these symptoms, an infection may be present and a doctor should be seen immediately.
Kidneys (Kidney, Renal)
Bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located near the middle of the back, just below the rib cage. The kidneys are sophisticated reprocessing machines, each day handling about 50 gallons of blood to sift out about half a gallon of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which flows to the bladder through tubes called ureters. The actual filtering occurs in tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons. Every kidney has about a million nephrons. In a nephron, a glomerulus -- which is a tiny blood vessel, or capillary -- intertwines with a tiny urine-collecting tube called a tubule. A complicated chemical exchange takes place, as waste materials and water leave your blood and enter your urinary system. The kidneys recycle chemicals such as sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and thus regulate their levels. Renal: Pertaining to the kidneys.
Liver (Hepatic)
The largest and one of the most complex organs of the body, the liver is responsible for much of the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It is the site of much of the body's detoxification. It is connected very closely with digestion and the regulation of blood sugar, among many other functions. Found behind the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, it has many important functions such as removing harmful material from the blood, making enzymes and bile that help digest food, and converting food into substances needed for life and growth. Hepatic: Pertaining to the liver.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Rheumatism (Rheumatoid)
General term applied to conditions of pain, or inability to articulate, various elements of the musculoskeletal system.
Strangury
Painful, sporadic and drop-by-drop urination, caused by the presence of kidney stones, chronic inflammation such as interstitial cystitis, or urethral scar tissue.
Urethritis
Any inflammation of the urethra, whether from external irritation, overly acidic or scalding urine, passage of stones, or an active infection of the canal.
Uric Acid (Hyperuricemia)
The final end product of certain native or dietary proteins, especially the nucleoproteins found in the nucleus of cells. Unlike the much smaller nitrogenous waste product urea, which is mostly recycled to form many amino acids, uric acid is an unrecycleable metabolite that must be excreted: nucleoprotein to purine to uric acid to the outside in the urine or the sweat. Hyperuricemia: Having elevated blood uric acid, either from a rapid rate of cell breakdown and synthesis (such as might occur from fasting, heavy training, trauma or any number of major diseases), a high consumption of organ meats, glandular supplements or spirulina, or the inability (usually hereditary) to excrete uric acid in the urine as fast as it is produced, even though production itself is not elevated.
Urinary Tract (UT)
The kidneys and the lower urinary tract, which includes the ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Uterus (Uterine)
The part of the female reproductive system specialized to allow the implantation, growth and nourishment of a fetus during pregnancy.
Last updated: Jun 28, 2009
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