[toc]Any part of your body can experience swelling and have build up of fluid inside. This is known as edema in medical parlance. Though edema can affect any part of your body, the commonly affected areas are ankles, legs and feet. However, edema is not an isolated ailment. It is often the result of some underlying disease such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, infections etc. Pregnancy can also result in edema.
Edema can be pitting or non-pitting. Whatever be the kind of edema, they are mostly serious in nature and should be treated urgently. Seek the advice of a physician to ascertain the cause of edema and go according to the prescription. However, if it is not very serious in nature then you can also go for herbal treatment. There are a lot of herbs that can help you to get rid of edema. Let us discuss a few of these.
5 Herbal Remedies For Edema
Dandelion
Edema results from accumulation of fluid in the affected tissue. Removal of excess fluid can reduce the swelling and therefore the edema. This can be done by using diuretics. Diuretics are substances that increase urination and eliminate excess fluid. The herb dandelion is an excellent diuretic and has been used to this effect for centuries. Dandelion leaves are used for this purpose. Steep 10 gm of dandelion leaf in a cup of hot water for at least 15 minutes. Now strain and let it cool down. Take it sip by sip. Do this every day and the swelling and associated discomfort will alleviate.
Grape Seed
Edema can appear if you are suffering from chronic venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency results in pooling of blood in the extremities and gives rise to edema. An extract of grape seed can help with this problem and therefore reduce edema. Studies have shown that grape seed extract improves chronic venous insufficiency. So take grape seed extract every day to cure edema.
Bilberry
The role of antioxidants in reducing swelling has been studied and it has been seen that antioxidants can play a key role in alleviating accumulation of fluid and therefore prevent and reduce edema. Antioxidants prevent or retard oxidation of lipids and therefore reduce accumulation of fluid. Bilberry has excellent antioxidant properties. Therefore, you can alleviate edema with bilberry extract every day. Take at least 100 mg of bilberry extract every day to get relief from edema.
Garlic
It has been seen that garlic has some anti-edema properties. Moreover, garlic is anti-inflammatory in nature. So this can reduce inflammations and pain. Therefore, garlic can be helpful in reducing edema. Take at least two cloves of garlic every day to get relief from edema.
Lavender and Lemon
A combination of lavender and lemon oil can be helpful for reducing edema. Both lavender oil and lemon peel oil are good massage oils and act as anti-inflammatory as well as astringent. A massage of your ankles or knees with this mixture of oil helps in pushing the accumulated fluid up the venous network and reduces swelling.
