A Youtube video claims that a concoction of onion, cumin, sugar crystals and lemon will help pass kidney stones. But there is no evidence to prove that this mix of ingredients can cure or help in passing kidney stones. The claim is false.

By Abeen Bilal

A video on YouTube which has been watched more than 4 lakh times (411,539 to be specific) suggests one such preparation. The woman in the video suggests how to prepare the drink. She chops onion and boils it in water, adds cumin seeds and sugar crystals. She then blends it all together in a mixer to make the final product which is a concentrate of all these ingredients. She adds one lemon to this drink and explains that both the citric acid in the lemon as well as the cumin seed helps in dissolving the stone quickly.

While it is a healthy habit to keep yourself well hydrated and it is definitely suggested that anyone with kidney problems should take in lots of water and other fluids, but those won’t help in disintegrating the stone once it is formed. The urinary stones are mostly formed when the kidney does not get enough fluid and the waste materials build and stick up together. So a lot of people come up with homemade remedies to get rid of the stones by suggesting different fluid concentrations to flush out the stones.

Dr.Shimna Azeez, Medical Officer and lecturer at Government Medical College, Kerala suggests against this practice. She said, “There has been no scientific study to prove that boiling cumin seeds and onion and drinking that extract will help in passing kidney stones. These short-cut methods available on social media have no medical backing. “

She adds, “Since these are not proper methods of treatment, following them blindly may even cause harm. Not everything that nature provides is safe. People should be careful before believing them as these have been so many instances of people getting poisoned or taking in something toxic while believing these remedies on social media.” She further advises people to seek medical help and proper guidance to treat any illness or disease.