Fact Check: Can a tablespoon of powdered sugar, cumin dissolve kidney stones?

Hyderabad: A post has gone viral on social media claiming that cumin and sugar can help dissolve kidney stones.

The viral video suggests that consuming a tablespoon of powdered cumin and sugar thrice a day can help pass kidney stones in the matter of days through urine.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

What are kidney stones?

Kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. Our kidneys filter about half a cup of blood every minute by eliminating toxins and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscles called uterus. The entire system including kidneys, ureters and bladder are a part of your urinary tract.

According to Healthline, “Kidney stones are solid masses of crystalized minerals and salts that develop inside the kidneys and along the urinary tract. Kidney stones happen as the result of a buildup of these minerals in your urine, especially when your urine is concentrated. They vary in size and are often quite painful. Kidney stones may cause nausea, fever, and painful urination. They’re quite common, especially if you’ve had them before or if they run in your family.”

Can powdered cumin and sugar treat kidney stones?

According to WebMD, “For generations, people have used cumin to treat conditions ranging from indigestion and diarrhea to headaches. People in India have used it to treat kidney and bladder stones, eye disease, and even leprosy.”

Now, scientific research has evidence that backs up many of these traditional uses.

Through our search, we found that it’s the black cumin or Nigella Sativa that shows healing effects rather than the normal cumin we generally use.

According to MedicineNet, black cumin helps with kidney stones. It is an ancient practice to treat kidney stones. Black cumin oil was effective against gentamicin kidney toxicity. Black cumin has defensive action against kidney injury.

It should be noted that there is no evidence to back that cumin or black cumin cures kidney stones. It only helps prevent and fight toxicity. Taking three tablespoons of sugar in a day itself is not healthy. “In the short term, eating too much sugar may contribute to acne, weight gain, and tiredness. In the long-term, too much sugar increases the risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” says Medical News Today.

We reached out to Dr S Vijay Mohan, MD, senior consultant physician, Care Hospitals, and the HoD for the Department of Internal Medicine, to debunk the claim.

“Powdered sugar is absolute poison. Sugar cane cultivation started around 10,000 years ago. Sugar production followed in the next couple of centuries. Interestingly, diabetes is also a 7,000-year-old disease. This means that the ancient humans survived without sugar. In fact, sugar is not necessary for survival. The food we consume contains enough carbohydrates, which get converted into glucose for our daily tissue needs. Extra sugar is toxic to the arteries which not only can lead to diabetes but is also life threatening. Powdered sugar is even more dangerous as it sends immediate signals to the pancreas to produce more Insulin to neutralize it. Both sugar and insulin are dangerous in excess. On World Diabetes Day, let’s rededicate ourselves not only to control diabetes but also prevent it as India is the diabetes capital of the world,” the doctor said.