Bupleurum Key actions: protects liver, anti-inflammatory, tonic and diaphoretic (induces sweating) Uses: Bupleurum is used to “protect the liver from toxicity and strengthen liver function, even in people suffering from immune system disorders”. (Enclyclopedia of Herbal Medicine Andrew Chevallier, p. 72) “Bupleurum stops the effects of allergies by blocking serotonin (also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5HTP). This hormonelike chemical make the walls of capillaries more permeable, leading to soft-tissue swelling, including the swelling of the nasal membranes that causes a stuffy nose”. (Herbal Healing, Phyllis A. Balch p. 37)
Chanca Piedra – “kidney stone tree” is used as a “stone breaker” in both human and veterinary herbal medicine. Chanca Piedra is also used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure. “A German physician, Wolfram Wiemann, gave chanca piedra to more than 100 people with kidney stones in Germany, and found that 94 percent of these people eliminated the stones within two weeks... Dr. Weimann believed the herb provided a permanent cure for kidney stones. Subsequent research in Brazil has confirmed that chemicals in chanca piedra keep calcium crystals especially crystals of calcium oxalate, from entering kidney cells”. (Herbal Healing, Phyllis A. Balch p. 46)
Hydrangea – “The Cherokee used hydrangea as a remedy for kidney and bladder stones... It is thought both to encourage the expulsion of stones and to help to dissolve those that remain”. (Enclyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Andrew Chevallier, p. 220)
Uva Ursi – is used to benefit various conditions including bladder infection, kidney disease, and prostatitis. Uva Ursi is used as a “mild diuretic and in the treatment of bladder and kidney infections. The leaves also have anesthetic properties that help to numb urinary-tract pain”. (Herbal Healing, Phyllis A. Balch p. 138)