Category:Diuretic herbs

A diuretic herb is a plant medicine that increases urine volume and urinary excretion, used traditionally for fluid retention, minor urinary complaints, urinary-tract supportive care, and as an adjunct in kidney-stone prevention by increasing urinary flow. The principal mechanism of most herbal diuretics is aquaretic: an increase in glomerular filtration rate or inhibition of tubular reabsorption without the proportional potassium loss (hypokalemia) associated with synthetic loop diuretics (furosemide) and thiazides (hydrochlorothiazide).

The most clinically evidenced herbal diuretic is dandelion leaf (Taraxacum officinale): a human clinical study by Clare and colleagues (2009) demonstrated significant acute increases in urine volume and urinary frequency following three doses of a dandelion leaf extract over seven hours, with no significant reduction in urinary potassium -- consistent with the leaf's high potassium content counterbalancing urinary losses. The aquaretic mechanism distinguishes dandelion from synthetic diuretics and is the pharmacological basis of the herb's traditional use for fluid-retention states without the associated electrolyte risk.

The diuretic-herb category includes: the classical aquaretics (dandelion leaf, couch grass, cleavers, corn silk, goldenrod), the kidney-stone-prevention and urinary-tract-soothing herbs (uva ursi, buchu, juniper), and herbs with secondary diuretic action alongside a primary indication elsewhere (nettle, parsley seed, celery seed). Several herbs in this category also appear in urological herbs for their overlap with urinary-tract infection and prostate-related indications.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, leaf preparation).

The pharmaceutical diuretics (loop diuretics, thiazides, potassium-sparing diuretics) are listed under their own categories. This category covers the plant-medicine tradition of diuretic herbs as recognised in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, the German Commission E, and the EMA HMPC traditional-use assessments.

Curated category pages in the Pharmacopedia are written and maintained by the editorial team. Members are listed when a full page exists; herbs with planned pages will be added on publication.