Lemon juice has long been used as a diuretic, especially in a glass of hot or warm water. Although doctors prescribe diuretic medications, sometimes called water pills, to increase urine output, lemon juice can work as a natural remedy to help us urinate more.
Excess urine production can lead to dehydration, so check with your doctor if you decide to use hot water and lemons or other diuretics to increase urination.
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Diuretic uses of hot water and lemon juice.
Diuretics play a role in a variety of health issues. They rid the body of excess salts to reduce blood volume for patients with high blood pressure. The process inhibits the kidney’s ability to reabsorb sodium, so more sodium exits through the urine.
Increasing urine output with diuretics also helps patients with urinary tract infections and uric acid problems.
Natural diuretics have been used to ease fluid retention and help with temporary weight loss, but by focusing on a healthy diet and exercise, you can provide long-term weight loss, according to licensed dietitian.
Adding flavor.
Lemon juice works best with hot or warm water to increase urine flow and make us urinate more, according to Steady Health.
Not only does lemon juice rid your body of excess water, lemon can also help flush excess amounts of electrolytes and sodium through urine.
You can add some cranberry, another diuretic, to your lemon and hot or warm water for flavor. Remove the seeds from a lemon and squeeze the juice into a cup of hot water for best results.
Potential benefits of lemon.
Aside from its use as a diuretic, lemon juice in hot water has also been advocated as a daily laxative. Lemons contain vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps against cell damage caused by free radicals.
Free radicals can play a role in the aging process, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.
This could explain why lemon juice has been used as a diuretic with the intent of flushing out harmful bacteria and toxins from the urinary tract.
Some people use lemon in caffeinated beverages, such as tea, which can make us urinate more amounts.
But lemon and hot water can provide a diuretic effect without the side effects of caffeine, such as nervousness, dizziness, irritability and insomnia.
Long use.
Use lemon and hot water as a diuretic only when the need to increase urine flow arises.
Long-term use of lemons can erode tooth enamel, tooth decay, and also lead to gum problems, according to Purdue University.
Too much lemon consumption can also lead to potassium deficiencies and severe dehydration.