Natural Diuretics

Do Natural Diuretics Work?

When most people wonder whether natural diuretics work, they’re curious about whether they work to promote weight loss. As common ingredients in a number of diet, detox and fat burning weight loss products, natural diuretics show up everywhere and so its hard to tell whether they’re supposed to be for weight loss or just water loss. Common natural diuretics you might see in weight loss pills or creams out there include:

Agave, Artichoke, Agrimony, Barberry, Blackberry, Black or blue Cohosh, Black Currant, Buchu, Burdock root, Calamus, Celery, Chaparral, Chickweed, Cornsilk, Cranberry, Cucumber, Damiana, Dandelion, Fennel, Gotu Kola, Gravel root, Golden Rod, Hawthorn berries, Horseradish, Juniper berries, Lady’s Bedstraw, Liquorice, Mistletoe, Mullein, Parsley, Pennywort, Pleurisy root, Red Clover, Rosemary, Salad Rocket, Sassafras, Saw palmetto, Senna, Sesame, Shepherd’s purse, Squaw vine, St. Johns Wort, Sugar Palm, Uva ursi, Watercress, White willow, Yarrow

As for effectiveness, the truth is that natural diuretics are not known to promote any sort of fat loss since their primary mechanism of action is altering the mineral balance in the liquid that is filtering through your kidneys. By keeping sodium or potassium from being reabsorbed in the filtration process, more water from your body ends up getting passed out in urine. Some claim this “detoxifies” the body, and while filtering more water through your body may help to get rid of some chemicals in your system more quickly, it won’t remove anything other than minerals if you haven’t taken (or smoked) anything recently.

What makes natural diuretics seem effective for weight loss sometimes is the fact that some of the fluid between your skin cells and other tissues (known as interstitial fluid) is removed, causing your skin to be less voluminous than normal. This compacting effect may make you appear slimmer temporarily, but it has nothing to do with fat or cellulite and the water will return once you stop taking the diuretics.

Natural Diuretics Side Effects:

When using diuretics it is important to consult with your doctor if you have any sort of kidney or liver problems. While lowering your blood pressure may be a positive side effect of natural diuretics, some of the more unpleasant ones may include:

Headache
Upset stomach
Dehydration
Muscle cramps

Are Natural Diuretics Usually Guaranteed?

Whether the given weight loss product containing natural diuretics is guaranteed depends completely on the company that makes it, but its important to remember two important points when considering a purchase:

If the product contains only natural diuretics, it will not promote fat loss no matter what kind of “guarantee” they give you.
Natural diuretics are typically very inexpensive ingredients and so they shouldn’t drive up the cost of a product. If it contains only natural diuretics, it should be cheap.
Even if the weight loss product contains natural diuretics and actual fat burning ingredients, don’t buy it without a guarantee!