Any part of the body dysfunctions can be terrifying for sufferers and their loved ones. With kidney dysfunction, the problems can be even scarier with the introduction of dialysis. Essential oils can support healthy kidney function but are very powerful agents. If used incorrectly, they can put extra pressure on the kidneys, becoming harmful. Today we investigate how to use essential oils for kidney complaints.
About The Kidneys
Our kidneys are vital for cleansing the body.
Most people have two. They are shaped like kidney beans, measure 10-15 cm long, and weigh around 160 grams or 6 oz.
They sit on either side of the spine.
In the best-case scenario, we have two healthy kidneys, but it is possible to live a healthy and active life with just one. Likewise, In rare instances, some people are born with three and live healthily.
Their main jobs are to clean the blood and stabilize fluids.
They clear the system of toxins and then transform that waste into urine. Each day, the two kidneys filter around 44 gallons of fluid together and then dispatch about 2.5 pints of it in urine.
In addition to keeping fluid content levels, the kidneys also control electrolytes. The most important of these are sodium and potassium. This is why high salt levels can lead to kidney stones, and unregulated potassium can manifest as hyperkalemia.
The kidneys also secrete some hormones. The most important of these are Renin and erythropoietin.
Renin maintains normal blood pressure by constricting small blood vessels if the pressure falls too low. So, Renin increases blood pressure.
Too much Renin may be produced if the kidneys don’t function properly. This means blood pressure rises and can sometimes result in high blood pressure. For this reason, you’ll often find people who have kidney diseases also have high blood pressure.
Erythropoietin’s job is to tell bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. Anemia can be connected to poor kidney function since too little erythropoietin lowers blood count.
Vitamin D also relies upon the kidneys to transform it, to be useful.
In the normal diet, Vitamin D is inactive. The kidneys need to alter their structure before the intestine can use it to absorb calcium for normal bone structure and effective muscle function.
Poor kidney function can lead to bone problems and malabsorption of vitamin D in conditions like rickets.
Also Read: Essential Oils For Liver Detoxification
Dialysis
If your kidneys are not working well – for example, if you have advanced chronic kidney disease (kidney failure) – the kidneys may no longer be able to clean your blood adequately. When toxins and fluids build up, it can cause symptoms of kidney failure.
Symptoms include high blood pressure, persistent headaches, tiredness, and lethargy. The face and ankles swell as fluid is retained. Lower back pain can also be indicative of a problem with the kidneys.
Dialysis filters out unwanted substances and fluids from the blood to prevent harmful symptoms.
The Essential Oils for Kidneys Article
We have gone from 1-100 in a matter of paragraphs there, and there were many levels of kidney dysfunction before this, including mild infection.
So, within this article, we’ll think about oils that specifically act upon the kidneys for better or worse.
We’ll think about oils that can help support your emotional journey and those that support the dialysis journey. Common side effects of dialysis include low blood pressure, infections at the access points, itchy skin, muscle cramps, and blood clots. Again, these are all areas where essential oils may be supportive.
Before we get into that, though, some kidney-related things from other complementary disciplines are worth considering.
Also Read: Essential Oils For Grief
A Holistic Approach To The Kidneys
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are connected to the emotion of fear. Perhaps not surprisingly, we wet ourselves when we are afraid. Fear and kidney dysfunction are quintessentially connected. Thus times of stress and fear can often manifest physical and kidney disorders.
- The urinary bladder and kidney belong to the water element. Acupuncture points along their meridians can fill reserves and tap into strength, courage, and wisdom. Again the water element is fear. In appropriate amounts, fear reminds us to navigate situations with care and caution, but if it goes out of balance, one might experience dreadful anxiety, phobias, or lack of courage. This is why anxiety is often treated using points along the kidney meridian.
- In Ayurveda, the kidneys are imagined as being vitalized by the sacral chakra. Chakras translate information from the mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies.
Emotionally, the sacral chakra relates to sexuality - and of course, the genito-urinray system is linked. Still, the sacral chakra speaks to what we want from life, as opposed to the root chakra, which relates to what we need.
As such, organs connected to the sacral chakra suffer from being unable to express what you want from life or pushing too hard for it. Think about how the penis responds to exhaustion…
Also Read: 10 Best Essential Oils For Relaxation
Essential Oils for the Kidneys
Fennel, Juniper, and Cypress all have a direct action on the kidneys. They have powerful diuretic properties. As such, they can be extremely useful essential oils for the kidneys, but we only want to use them in very small amounts.
Use at a dilution of not more than 1% in all three cases if you have kidney issues.
The kidney meridian controls flow through the body. This runs up and down the front of the body as if it is the two sides of the zip on your jacket. It’s worth using a blend of these three oils, each at 1%, and applying it morning and night over the meridian.
Remember then, if you do this, you are using two complementary therapies. Acupressure will stimulate these points and support the kidneys on their own…then you are adding essential oils. This becomes potent. Do not overstimulate these points.
Juniper Berry (Juniperus Communis)
Juniper is a very cleansing oil. It supports healthy detoxification of the muscles and joints. It contains constituents with hepatic properties so that it will support the liver. The liver and kidneys look after most of the body’s detoxification.
Maximum Dilution for Juniper Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Fennel Sweet (Foeniculum Vulgare)
A strong antitoxin, fennel essential oil quickly cleanses the entire body, including the blood.
It is carminative to help with nausea and flatulence.
Massage with Fennel is wonderful for edema. If the face or ankles begin to get puffy, Fennel can be wonderful, especially when used with lymphatic drainage massage.
Strongest of all, it gives courage in the face of difficult medical situations.
My favorite mythological connection is how Fennel works on stamina. The word “Marathon” is named after the city of Marathon, whose Greek name means “Place of the Fennel” because it famously had many giant plant species. I always say Fennel is like the 25th mile of the marathon. It’s the last push over the line. When you feel like you have no resilience left, Fennel somehow manages to track it down. It makes you strong when all else is failing.
Maximum Dilution for Fennel Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Safety: Patients with epilepsy should avoid using fennel essential oil for the kidneys, as it can be neurotoxic. Fennel essential oil should also be avoided during pregnancy.
Cypress (Cupressus Sempervirens)
Cypress is one of the best oils for treating any problem with the genito-urinary tract.
The kidneys play a part in the production of red blood cells, and the cypress plays a part in helping the body to manufacture these more effectively.
Cypress and astringent and very cleansing. It is a very happy oil that can lift your mood or the atmosphere. I use cypress oil when frustrated with situations because it makes me laugh.
Cypress is lovely in a massage oil or a bath, but because it is very astringent, don’t use more than a drop in your bath water.
Maximum Dilution for Cypress Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Ginger (Zingiber Officinale)
This is a favorite oil to use when patients struggle with some moisture, whether urination (or indeed lack of it), diarrhea or even sweating.
Aching joints, rheumatism, and arthritis all feel relief from ginger. It is used for muscle spasms.
It is an excellent guard against infection.
Lastly, its stimulating effects are useful if the libido begins to wane.
It is a very warming oil; when you use it, heat travels upwards, so massaging the feet with it has the best effect.
Again...watch dosage, or you may feel like a human fireball!
Maximum Dilution for Ginger Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Rose (Rosa Damascena)
Kidney stones can form in one or both kidneys. When they do, they lodge in the tube that connects your kidneys to the bladder (the ureter). If a stone blocks the ureter, it can cause severe renal colic pain. Rose can be very helpful for renal colic.
In 2013, a paper was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary, describing a trial done in the emergency room of a hospital. Eighty participants suffering from renal colic were recruited and divided into two groups. Both groups were given the standard treatment the doctor would give them (diclofenac sodium, 75 mg intramuscularly). Half of those were also given rose essential oil and half a placebo. Their pain was then assessed 10 minutes and subsequently thirty minutes later.
There was little to choose between the pain measures of the two groups pain measures after ten minutes. Still, after thirty minutes, their pain was significantly reduced in the rose group compared to the placebo group. (Ayan, 2013)
Rose essential oil is a tonic for the kidney meridian generally.
Emotional/Physical
Ylang-Ylang (Cananga Odorata)
This is a balancing oil. It will settle if the blood pressure is too high or low. It is an aphrodisiac because it relaxes the mind and body so much. To some degree, it is antiseptic, but there are better oils to use for this effect.
I’d recommend using a sniffy stiff inhaler, an aroma pendant for bp, or a couple of drops in the bath. Ylang-ylang is also lovely in massage oil to use in a roller ball.
Be aware that it can be nauseating and give you a headache if you use it for too long, so I like to alternate it with clary sage for high bp. However, I’d give clary sage a wide berth if you are perimenopausal. It makes symptoms way worse.
Substitute for chamomile instead. It’s not as good, but it will help.
Maximum Dilution for Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 2%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Chamomile Maroc (Ormensis Multicaulis)
Please do not confuse it with German or Roman Chamomiles. This is from a different family. Its Latin is Ormenis multicaulis. It does feel and act like the other chamomiles, though.
In her book the Garden of Eden, Jill Bruce says of it:
“Physical: It is very soothing, carminative, anti-inflammatory-antiseptic. Starting to evolve to deal with bacteria or viruses carried within the lymph.
There is a connection between kidneys and excretion.
Seems to be able to help renal colic.
Mental: It helps people to sink away under their problems. It makes problems feel less acute.
Spiritual: Seems to soothe family rows and allows communication to flow between people more easily.”
I love all the chamomile oils; they seem to say, “Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be.
Chamomiles settle digestive problems and soothe emotions, and Ormenis muti caulis also tends to have a renal disturbance.
Thinking of what we know from TCM, Chamomiles are a great antidote to fear and for reining us in when we drive too hard for things we want.
Maximum Dilution for Moroccan Chamomile Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 2%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Marjoram (Origanum Majorana)
Marjoram acts upon the central nervous system and can reset the body clock. I love it, combined with valerian and lavender for insomnia.
It’s lovely for muscle spasms and aches and pains.
Do not use more than one drop in any treatment, though, because larger amounts can be stupefying. Also, be aware that another of its properties is to reduce libido, so again, don’t use too much.
Maximum Dilution for Marjoram Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Frankincense (Boswellia Serrata)
This is a very cleansing oil generally so it will support the kidneys, but its best effects fall in a more spiritual plane.
Frankincense deals with the loss of faith that diagnosis brings. “What has God done for me?” In frankincense, God speaks.
Maximum Dilution for Frankincense Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens)
This lovely oil is an overall tonic. It invigorates and balances all bodily systems. It is sedative and relaxing. On days when life kicks the proverbial, put 5 drops in the bath and feel the weight of the world drift away.
Maximum Dilution for Geranium Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum Grandiflorum)
I’ve chosen this oil for its sexual dimension. It is a powerful aphrodisiac, especially for men, and helps remove psychological blocks that chronic illness can sometimes bring. It is, however, an expensive oil, and you may find a combination of nutmeg and geranium to be as effective.
Maximum Dilution for Jasmine Absolute for The Kidneys: 2%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata)
Mandarin is lovely for symptoms of exhaustion and fatigue since it stimulates and supports the adrenal glands. The adrenals secrete adrenaline when we are
stressed and, over time, can become depleted, affecting our ability to bounce back.
When used in an evaporator, it is a tonic to the kidneys and promotes harmonious atmospheres.
I use it for every stress-related condition, often with nutmeg to produce the pituitaries.
Maximum Dilution for Mandarin Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Nutmeg (Myristica Fragrans)
Hormonal derangements at the hypothalamic-pituitary axis are often associated with worsening kidney function. (Meuwese, 2013)
Nutmeg supports the healthy pituitary function. This works wonderfully with mandarin’s effect on the adrenals.
Nutmeg is a spark when everything is failing. It’s the catalyst when the battery is flat. It is particularly helpful for impotence or loss of libido.
It stimulates hunger. Warming the joints and encouraging better blood circulation it is an excellent oil to add into muscle rubs and massage oils.
Maximum Dilution for Nutmeg Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 1%
Use one drop only of this very stimulating oil in any treatment. And not suitable for people with nut allergies.
Safety: Not suitable for use in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. It is best avoided by people who have psychosis.
Spikenard (Nardostachys Jatamansi)
A very ancient oil, spikenard is greeny-blue and acts like a liquid anesthetic. This is an expensive oil but useful if any condition becomes acute. Chronic pain and terrible insomnia are both helped by spikenard. It is also anti-bacterial.
Emotionally, spikenard restores faith. It is the most effective antidote I know to fear and instills trust that things will be ok.
Maximum Dilution for Spikenard Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Essential Oils for Kidney Symptoms and Complications
Infections
Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
This is the king of all anti-bacterial and antiseptics. It also vibrates on the color orange, the sacral chakra's vibration. This is a very important oil to use for chronic kidney disease sufferers.
Maximum Dilution for Tea Tree Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Lemon (Citrus Limon (L.) Burm.F)
Lemon is a strong antiseptic, so do not use this oil in the bath, as it irritates the skin.
It is a valuable aid in healing infection as it encourages the production of leucocytes which are the antibodies that raise immunity.
Maximum Dilution for Lemon Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum)
Use this oil in small quantities if a fever spikes from infection. Black pepper oil stimulates the sacral chakra.
Maximum Dilution for Black Pepper Essential Oil for The Kidneys: 3%
Safety: Not suitable for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Essential Oils for Kidney-Related Issues - Blood Pressure
As stated, kidney function can interrupt Renin, which then disturbs blood pressure.
Low Blood Pressure
Lavender, Lemon, Marjoram, Ylang-Ylang
High Blood Pressure
Essential Oils for Kidney-Related Issues
Fatigue and Tiredness
I love grapefruit for a push when you are done in. It feels like a dancer coming out to kick a cancan. Sassy and exuberant.
Just be careful of drug interactions with this one. It thins the blood, so do not use it if you are already on anticoagulant medicines, have a platelet disorder, or are due to have planned surgery in the next 48 hours. Since dialysis needles break the skin, including dialysis in that restriction is best.
Mandarin, basil, cypress, and nutmeg are also great.
Essential Oils for the Kidneys / Sacral Chakra
Black pepper, Bulgarian lavender, juniper, mandarin, neroli (orange blossom), naiouli, palma rosa, rose, spearmint, ylang-ylang.
Final Word
There are some extremely helpful essential oils for the kidneys, but adhering to the maximum dilution is key. Use sniffy sticks and baths to keep the emotions level - especially around anxiety - and massage oils to support healthy kidney function.
Also Read: Essential Oils For Uplifting Mood
