Palo Azul bark has been used for hundreds of years as a natural remedy for kidneys.
Because of this, it is often called Kidney Wood.
In this article, we sift through the data to reveal recent research behind this ancient natural remedy. This article goes through scientific studies and research that has been published about Palo Azul tea.
Palo Azul is better known in South and Central America where it is a native plant and has been used to treat kidneys for hundreds of years.
How Palo Azul & Your Kidneys Work Together
Palo Azul is known to be a natural diuretic. A diuretic is a substance that promotes diuresis or the increased production of urine.
In medicine, diuretics are used to effectively treat heart failure, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, and you guessed it, certain kidney diseases.
Palo Azul has been used for hundreds of years by the Aztec people for its diuretic properties. After Europeans landed in South and Central America they started to export Palo Azul to Europe for its medical benefits.
Palo Azul tea is best purchased and prepared as a tea.
Recent studies have shown many other mechanisms at work when consuming Palo Azul. We get into the details of the science below.
The Function of Your Kidneys
Your kidneys are one of the important organs in your body. Their job is to clean your body from waste and to maintain body ion balance. That waste is the result of the normal breakdown of active muscle and from the food you eat. These substances combined with extra water from your blood is flushed out of your body as urine.
The kidneys are susceptible to many diseases that can inhibit their function to serve as a body trash collector.
For this reason, it is important to keep your kidneys healthy.
Recent Medical Literature Review*
Though Palo Azul has been used as a traditional remedy for hundreds of years we wanted to look at current research being done at some of the top research institutions in the world. We have done extensive review through main scientific databases(Pubmed/Medline, Ebsco, etc).
After reading over 25 studies and papers we found the following takeaways.
A Natural Diuretic
A study published in 2016 by BDPS concluded that Palo Azul does act as a diuretic helping the urinary system to excrete water and sodium but not potassium. These results indicate bark-induced diuretic activity of Palo Azul and support the traditional uses of the bark.
Above we talked about how diuretics are used to treat kidney disease. Palo Azul is a natural diuretic but there are even more benefits of preparing the tea.
Increased insulin resistance
It is thought that diabetic kidney disease is likely the result of defective insulin signaling in the kidneys.
A 2016 study from Japan found that Palo Azul has numerous physiological effects that contribute to the prevention of metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic Syndrome includes the combination of the following conditions։ high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat, and high cholesterol. The World Journal of Nephrology states that Metabolic syndrome is associated with chronic kidney disease markers. The markers include reduced glomerular filtration rate, proteinuria and/or microalbuminuria, and histopathological markers. Although the relationship between metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease is not clearly understood, they are clearly associated.
Their conclusion was that Palo Azul may improve insulin resistance conditions by facilitating the formation of myotubes by promoting myocyte differentiation. This is possible due to increased muscle mass and increased glucose uptake by muscles.
The study was conducted at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University in Japan.
Stop Common Kidney Stones
Another study conducted to understand how isoflavones (a crystalline compound found in plants) from Palo Azul protected against kidney stones.
They were looking to see if the isoflavones could stop the creation of calcium oxalate (kidney stones are mainly composed with this compound).
They found that the isoflavones isolated from Palo Azul stopped the formation and growth of calcium oxalate crystal in rats.
They also put in their conclusion that you can take Palo Azul as a preventative measure to avoid kidney stone growth.
This research was done by the Urology College of Mexico with collaboration with Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco
Kidneywood and your Kidneys
It is stated that Palo Azul (Kidneywood) helps issues with kidney stones and urinary tract sediment because of the plant's alkalinizing nature (it dissolves acidic precipitants into the urine ). This will reduce pain and urinary tract irritation.
It should be noted that small clinical trials have shown, that reducing the dietary acid load can slow the kidney function decline.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
A study published in 2011 looked at the use of Palo Azul as an anti-inflammatory agent. The article also states that Palo Azul can act as a diuretic (increased urine production), antirheumatic (used to slow down disease progression), and Antispasmodic(reduces muscle spasms).
The research has found that the extracts from the wood produced a significant inhibition of carrageenan-induced inflammation. These results supported the use of Palo Azul as an anti-inflammatory agent.
Nephritis is the inflammation of kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, interstitial tissue, and surrounding tissue.
Blood Glucose Levels
The extract from submerging Palo Azul in water was found to significantly decrease the blood glucose levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. These results correlate with traditional uses of Palo Azul to decrease glucose levels.
Glucose is is the most abundant monosaccharide and commonly known as your blood sugar. Multiple studies have found an association between the blood glucose levels and the kidney function.
Excess glucose in your bloodstream can cause kidney damage. This filtration system of our “trash collectors” can be damaged by high levels of blood sugar. In addition, it is known that high levels of glucose can increase your risk to develop kidney disease.
How to Consume Palo Azul
We have many clients that continue to purchase Palo Azul tea for their kidneys’ health. It is the best to use it as a tea made from the bark of the tree. The taste is quite mild and is easy to take. We send detailed instructions with every package of fresh Palo Azul bark.
There are no known side effects of the tea and you can drink 3-4 measuring cups a day.
It has been used for hundreds of years for kidney health. Yet recent studies have helped to better understand the popularity of the tea. They have helped to uncover multiple mechanisms that help promote kidney function.
If you are interested in purchasing Palo Azul tea you can buy directly here (we offer free shipping).
*This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis from a physician.