Water Retention, medically known as edema, can be caused by a number of factors, from normal shifts in body fluid to excess dietary sodium and diseases such as heart or kidney disease.

An adult can retain up to five pounds of water weight retention that can easily be hidden within the natural fluid that surrounds the cells. Heavier people may experience more water retention especially if their intake of processed, convenient food is high. For some it can much higher if consuming a diet high in sodium, which can also lead to high blood pressure and other health complications. [Read More] [Read Less]

An option for losing excess fluid is to supplement your diet with diuretic herbs. If you supplement with herbs, follow dosage recommendations on the label. Use diuretic herbs on a short-term basis and with the full knowledge of your physician for those with any medical problems.

Uva ursi is perhaps the most well-known herbal diuretic. Derived from the leaves of the bearberry tree, uva ursi contains arbutin, a natural chemical that increases urine output.

Horse chestnut is another diuretic herb of value. Two of its active constituents-aescin and aesculine-have demonstrated moderate diuretic activity. Horse chestnut is also used to promote leg vein circulation in Europe for many years. It protects against and reduces leg swelling and has no known side effects.

Buchu, an herb native to South Africa, has a long folk history of use as a diuretic. Its leaves are processed into supplements marketed for the regulation of water balance.

Dandelion contains two diuretic chemicals, eudesmanolides and germacranolides, as well as the mineral potassium, which helps to regulate water balance in the body.