Kidneys are quite susceptible to the wrong herbs, and not many studies have been done to see which herbs are renaltoxic. There's a list of mostly Chinese herbs that are known to be kidney killers. And most herbal cleanses you'll see include several diuretics. They push the kidneys to work harder. Only if your lab readings are completely normal would you even want to consider an herbal cleanse, and even then I don't recommend much beyond uva ursi for infection and parsley/dandelion as a very gentle diuretic.

Kidneys are extremely delicate and the best way to keep them healthy is to keep the liver and bowels clean and get plenty of fluids. If they're not doing their jobs, the kidneys get bombarded, and they don't have the regenerative powers of the liver, which can regenerate an inch a year.

The safest kidney cleanse is the simplest: fasting from everything, including vitamin pills; drinking citrus juices and about half your body weight in ounces of filtered water a day (unless you weigh more than 200 pounds). Unsweetened cranberry juice should be drunk if there is any chance of infection. Marshmallow and Slippery Elm can also help with irritation.

If you don't want to completely fast, then eat nothing but kichadi, vegetables, broths and citris drinks. A low-protein, no-dairy diet is one of the nicest things you can do for your kidneys. Eggs are okay, and since eggs are the very best protein, it makes sense to get your protein needs met with eggs so you can eat the least and get the most benefit, and the kichadi will help with that too.

Kidneys don't like beets or spinach or most legumes - mung beans are the exception- or peas, because they have to excrete the purines that come from digestive breakdown.

Kidneys also don't like NSAIDs, such as Advil, Aleve.

Most antibiotics are tough on the kidneys. Most pharmeceutical say "take with a large glass of water" and this is why.

If you have stones you would know. They are extremely painful. If you tend to create a lot of tartar on your teeth, then you have a phosphorous/calcium imbalance that could make you more prone to kidney stones and should not be drinking coffee or black tea.

It's a good idea to do a kidney cleanse after about every 2-4 liver flushes. For the most part, as long as you watch your urine output and make sure it is the closest to clear as you can get it, have no other symptoms, are getting adequate skin food, eat vegetarian occasionally, you're doing enough for your kidneys.

• Strong, solid urine flow/stream rather than a "spray"
• clear yellow urine
• relatively infrequent trips to the bathroom - at least a couple hours or so between visits
• no nocturnal urination unless it's just once, rarely, and usually after 5am
• steady energy overall, no flank or back pain, no sciatica type pain
• no anemia

• Frequent Urination with minimal output
• strong need to urinate even when output is minimal
• burning, stinging urination
• dark blackish; dark yellow; greenish; pinkish; foamy urine
• flank or low back or sciatica type pain
• light-headed or dizzy when standing up quickly
• cold or tingly feet/hands
• small patches of eczema
• anemia (when coupled with other kidney type symptoms)
• too low or too high blood pressure
• swelling below the waist
• painful/arthritic toes and ankles, usually just one big toe or one ankle
• shins painful to the touch
• very puffy lower eyelids

If you suspect you have a urinary tract infection, or bladder infection, do see a doctor for a urine analysis and complete physical. The reason is many times people have an auto-immune dysfunction rather than a true infection, and this goes undiagnosed until permanent damage happens. Be especially careful if you are 40 or older, as this is the age that these diseases tend to strike.

Most true urine infections are actually yeast infections and taking antibiotics does not help. So try this cleanse before resorting to antibiotics:

Some people are prone to forming kidney stones because of imbalanced diet, some because of how their bodies manage minerals. Either way, diet adjustments help. The easiest adjustment is to simply get adquate vitamin C. C will dissolve several types of kidney stones, including the most common calcium ones.

These foods tend to form kidney stones due to oxalates and phospholates:

To prevent kidney stones, be sure to get adequate amounts of B6 and Magnesium and to have the proper balance of Calcium and Phosphorous in your diet, about a 4 to 1 ratio of calcium to phosphorous.

The easiest way to get rid of kidney stones is to dissolve them. This drink will dissolve most stones and prevent infection:

Burdock root is a blood purifier and one of the safest, gentlest kidney cleansers there are. You can eat it like carrots or drink a burdock root tea. When drunk as a tea all by itself it has next to no symptoms, no healing crisis symptoms. If you combine it with dandelion and parsley it's even stronger, but you may have healing crisis symptoms at that point.