Natural Cures: Water Retention and Parsley

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Most women and older men have suffered at one time or another from water

retention otherwise known as Edema. Edema is the pooling of water in the

tissues. Although it often occurs in the hands and feet, any part of the

body may have edema. One of the first signs of having problems with the

kidneys or the heart is edema.

If water weight is sudden over a couple of days, contact your doctor!

To rid the body of excess water weight caused by edema:

Avoid spicy food, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, chocolate, sugars and

starches.

You must also avoid excess sweets, excess salt, coffee, beer, MSG, nitrates,

and chemicals in drinking water.

You need to drink pure water at all times. Ten 8 oz. glasses of water is

a minimum for the day.

You must also avoid eating excessive amounts of meat, especially beef.

Avoid all pork products and all processed meats and cold cuts. They contain

harmful chemicals.

Herbalists have long made use of parsley's diuretic effect to control bodily

water levels, which, for example, helps lower high blood pressure. A tea

made with fresh parsley or dried parsley is helpful in acting as a diuretic

(gets rid of excess water in the body).

To make the tea:

Use a dozen small leaves of fresh parsley or 1/4 teaspoon of dried

parsley to make a tea.

Pour 8 ounces of boiling water OVER the leaves.

Let steep for 2-3 minutes .. no longer than that.

Do NOT squeeze the leaves. Just let them drip.

Drink the tea.

Small doses of parsley leaves and roots stimulate the appetite, increase

stomach secretions, and promote digestion. Parsley's high chlorophyll content

allows it to freshen the breath, which is partly why restaurants include

parsley leaves with meals. Parsley's ability to bring up phlegm from the

lungs can aid in the treatment of coughs. The herb seems to have a mild

laxative effect.

Cleansing Foods that are Known to Relieve Kidney, Bladder, and

Urinary Problems:

Apple cider vinegar (use raw unpasteurized only), apples, asparagus,

cherry juice, corn silk tea, cucumber, cranberries, dandelion greens, garlic,

grapes, kidney bean pod water, lemon juice, boiled onions, pears, watercress,

watermelon and their seeds, parsley, beet juice, pure water.

Safety Issues:

The leaves have long been safely eaten as a food. They are a key ingredient,

for example, in the Middle Eastern dish tabbouleh. The parsnip-like roots

are also a food with a history of safe use that goes back at least to the

Romans. Parsley seeds, with their high concentration of essential oil,

and the essential oil itself, are potent and potentially toxic.

Most herbalists recommend that the seeds and oil not be used medicinally

(or be used with extreme caution), and that even herbal preparations of

the leaves and root be avoided by pregnant and lactating women, people

with especially fair skin, and anyone with kidney disease. Taking large

doses of the seeds or the essential oil can induce giddiness, nausea, headache,

sensitivity to sunlight, and long-term damage to the liver and kidney.