Dandelion Root Review for water retention issues.

[milkneggs786]

I know this is bit of a unorthodox supplement review, but im putting it up any way because a lot who frequent this forum seem to deal with water retention issues at one time or another.

I decided to try this product after speaking to my family doc who is very into homeopathic remedies (very rare for an MD) while I was getting my blood work done. I have delt with water retention issues for a while now because my diet is rich in complex/vegetable carbs (im a ovo-lacto vegetarian). As a result, ive always held a lot of water at times which can be very depressing when you see your hard earned cuts "soften up." When I mentioned this to my doc, he suggested Dandelion Root in low dosages as a daily supplement. He said it would not deplete my potassium levels (since its rich in potassium itself) and is extremely beneficial as a liver/blood/kidney detoxifier. Also, it only has mild diuretic properties, so it safe to supplement with consistently in low doses. I decided to give it a try, so I picked up Natures Way Dandelion Root and took 3 caps 3 times a day with a meal each time.

On the second day of supplementation, I immediately noticed a drying out of my physique and my musculature seemed a lot more hardened. At first I thought it was in my head, but then my sister saw me after my HIIT session and she immediately asked me if I was doing anything different. When I asked her why, she said I look a lot more "hardened and shredded" than usual. She said this with no prompting of any kind from me. As the days have gone by, I have maintained this "hardened" look and I have not upped my dosage at all. I havent had anymore water retention issues and I havent had any unusual side effects. My diet and workout routine have not changed either.

Overall im superbly impressed with this supplement and definitely recommend it to those who are dealing with the same problems I have delt with. Of course before you do, I strongly suggest you consult a practicing physician just as I did, as this supplement is not for everyone (ie. those with kidney/liver/gallbladder dysfunction).

Hope this helps.

[milkneggs786]

I also wanted to report in with an added benefit. Ive also noticed that my digestive function has become more regular, and I seem to experience a lot less stomach upset when I eat spicy food (sensitive stomach). This is a great added benefit because of the amount of foods people in our kind of fitness lifestyle eat. It gives a little more peace of mind and body to know that the food I eat "feels" like it being processed more efficiently.

Feel free to ask any questions if you have any.

[int3gra-t]

i'm also interested in lower water retention, ill have to give this a whirl, and ill post back results aswell,.

[milkneggs786]

^^^

Id be very interested to see if this supplement effects others in the same way or whether it has a varying result on different people. Looking forward to your update.

[OccamsRazor101]

What is the dosage that you started at and are now currently maintaining with? I am curious to know as I have heard of it's diuretic properties, but am concerned with any adverse effects it may have long term due to the body being mostly water. How long have you been taking it for and will you continue for long term?

[halberstram]

I wonder how dandelion would fair on cell tech? Do you think it would help with water retention issues?

[milkneggs786]

What is the dosage that you started at and are now currently maintaining with? I am curious to know as I have heard of it's diuretic properties, but am concerned with any adverse effects it may have long term due to the body being mostly water. How long have you been taking it for and will you continue for long term?

I started with 1 cap 3 times daily with meals (each cap is 540 mg). Ive held at that dosage for eight days now and have continued to maintain that "dry" look for all eight days so far. Just an FYI, the dosage im taking is half the recommended dosage on the bottle.

Ive talked to my family doc about long term use and he said, as long as your maintaining these low dosages, you can take it indefinitely. The reason why he suggested the half dose is because dandelion root is already packed with high quantities of potassium and supplementing at the full dosage might possibly get you to much potassium (which is hazardous to your health). Although he said even at the normal dose, this is pretty unlikely, but its better to err on the side of caution. Dandelion root is a mild diuretic and isnt going to get you fast results like a water pill, but its much more healthier and safer than other pharmaceutical/herbal diuretics. Ive tried Uva Ursi (another herbal diuretic) before for 2 days a while back and stopped using it pretty quickly because it pretty much crashed my potassium stores (ie severe cramps which I have never had a problem with before). Dandelion root is nothing like that and I have not noticed any negative side effects as of yet. I will probably cycle off of dandelion root once every couple of weeks, but I will definitely continue to use it in the long term.

[milkneggs786]

I wonder how dandelion would fair on cell tech? Do you think it would help with water retention issues?

Ive never used cell tech so I cant comment on that, but I imagine dandelion root would do a pretty decent job of drying out your sub-q water retention.

It should also be known that I am reducing my sodium intake and am performing HIIT 4-5 times a week after my lift sessions. I think this has magnified the results of the dandelion root supplementation quite a bit as well.

[milkneggs786]

I was doing some additional reading on the forum and I thought it would be important to stress a point that many bb competitors have mentioned numerous times regarding herbal diuretics here. "If your body fat percentage isnt low (10% or less), your not going to see much benefit of difference not matter what dosage of diuretics you take." <-- This is a quick paraphrase of what has been said multiple times on different threads by very experienced bb, so I cannot take credit for it. I agree with it whole-heartedly though. Your best bet to see results from herbal diuretics is to lose the fat first, and then youll be able to really reap the benefits.

[juicehead23]

Just came across this thread, i just took 3 caps of puritans pride dandelion root was eagar to see how diuretics would work on me cos i usually retain alot of water in my midsection, ill let you know how it works out...

[SmallCap]

I don't get it. So you said you took 3 caps 3 times a day with a meal, then you say you took 1 cap 3 times a day. So do you take 9 a day or 3?

[orderoutofchaos]

Today was day 1 of my spring time dandelion holocaust. I butchered 3 dandelions and ate their roots raw on the spot. I do this every spring/summer to keep my fluids in check. 3-10 roots a week all throughout....

if you have a soft look and want that hard look then skip gnc and just go to your back yard with a scoop and scoop out some dandelion roots. Fair warning, they're bitter as fyck but you get used to em quickly. 40 seconds of bitterness is justified for looking hard and ripped all summer imo

[stirb]

Someone should do before/after photos?

[Ayd68]

What was your dosage on this? Think you initially said 3x3 then less. Let us know..

I just received mine 250g capsules root extract.

Cheers

[icey]

Necro

Also curious as to what this dose was. Going to try this out and let you know how it goes. Original author, I have the exact same diet that you do. My physique looks like night and day when I retain water and it's so freakin annoying.

[Technologist]

I started with 1 cap 3 times daily with meals (each cap is 540 mg). Ive held at that dosage for eight days now and have continued to maintain that "dry" look for all eight days so far. Just an FYI, the dosage im taking is half the recommended dosage on the bottle.

Ive talked to my family doc about long term use and he said, as long as your maintaining these low dosages, you can take it indefinitely. The reason why he suggested the half dose is because dandelion root is already packed with high quantities of potassium and supplementing at the full dosage might possibly get you to much potassium (which is hazardous to your health). Although he said even at the normal dose, this is pretty unlikely, but its better to err on the side of caution. Dandelion root is a mild diuretic and isnt going to get you fast results like a water pill, but its much more healthier and safer than other pharmaceutical/herbal diuretics. Ive tried Uva Ursi (another herbal diuretic) before for 2 days a while back and stopped using it pretty quickly because it pretty much crashed my potassium stores (ie severe cramps which I have never had a problem with before). Dandelion root is nothing like that and I have not noticed any negative side effects as of yet. I will probably cycle off of dandelion root once every couple of weeks, but I will definitely continue to use it in the long term.

I know this is an older thread but unless you have compromised kidneys (or other serious health problems) you won't have a problem from too much potassium if it's coming from whole foods. Antioxidant rich whole fruits and vegetables reduce inflammation, water retention, high blood pressure and help many health issues. I eat 10,000 to 20,000 mg's of potassium a day because I eat 20-25 pounds of fruits and vegetables a day. So do some of the Ultra-marathoners running 135 miles in non stop. 100 g of dried dandelion root contains 1,200 mg of potassium. So those 540mg caps only have about 6-7 mgs of potassium in each. Eat a cup of tomato paste and you just ate 300+ times the potassium of one 540mg Dandelion root.

Dandelion root is a mild diuretic and increases the quantity of urine the body expels by promoting the excretion of salts & water (not increasing blood flow to the kidneys like caffeine) it's a naturally occurring potassium-sparing diuretic. You can drop a few pounds on it and may help some with high blood pressure issues. It will help some with extracellular water retention (subcutaneous bloating) but it can tend to dehydrate you so its best to realize you will probably be dehydrated some when on it and not to overdue it. Lasix (Furosemide) is the nasty stuff as it has the tendency, as for all loop diuretics, to cause low potassium levels, profound diuresis with water and electrolyte depletion and is the reason some bodybuilders cramp up and some have even died on stage from it.

You're on a (a ovo-lacto vegetarian diet) and I'll bet the bloating/water retention is from the dairy and egg products not the fruits and vegetables. If you cut the dairy and egg products for a few days you might see the bloating and water retention issues vanish.

Some High Potassium foods:

Hunts no salt added Tomato paste (6oz)
2,070 mg potassium

Avocado (1 medium)

1,097 mg

Potato, baked w/ skin (1 potato)

844 mg

Navy beans (1 cup, boiled)

669 mg

Prunes, dried (10 prunes)

626 mg

Dates, dried (10 dates)

541 mg

Cantaloupe, raw (1 cup pieces)

494 mg

Honeydew, raw (1 cup pieces)

461 mg

Banana, raw (1 medium)

451 mg

[v1hyp]

Can anyone comment on how beneficial this would be for using the last day or so prior to a show.

[Chuwey]

I just ordered NOW version off the bb superstore. I'll give it a shot and post review. I'm not really interested in stimulant-based diuretics (I could buy cheap caffeine pills at the corner store if I wanted that), and I'm not super impressed with "proprietary blends" that seem to mix all sorts of stuff together in amounts unknown to the consumer.

So this should be a good test for me of just straight dandelion root. Kinda wish the product was standardized for a certain percent of taraxasterols, as other some brands seem to be, but guess I can't have everything.

[Chuwey]

I got my order, but just read on Wikipedia that Dandelion Root increases appetite. I wouldn't want that, unless it increases metabolism at the same time. Anyone noticed this effect and did it make dieting more difficult? Thanks.

[XCriticalBenchX]

I got my order, but just read on Wikipedia that Dandelion Root increases appetite. I wouldn't want that, unless it increases metabolism at the same time. Anyone noticed this effect and did it make dieting more difficult? Thanks.

Honestly, I wouldn't think twice about it.

Mike

[poison]

SAN is giving away Shredded with many products this month:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/san/san.htm

Here's the label:

[mobikwa]

I know this is an old thread but has no one seriously read the OP? His medical doctor believes in homeopathic "medicine". That alone would make me stand up and walk out of his door forever, nothing he could ever say would justify him "prescribing" some water that has been magically shaken.

[Jenniferr20]

I know this is bit of a unorthodox supplement review, but im putting it up any way because a lot who frequent this forum seem to deal with water retention issues at one time or another.

I decided to try this product after speaking to my family doc who is very into homeopathic remedies (very rare for an MD) while I was getting my blood work done. I have delt with water retention issues for a while now because my diet is rich in complex/vegetable carbs (im a ovo-lacto vegetarian). As a result, ive always held a lot of water at times which can be very depressing when you see your hard earned cuts "soften up." When I mentioned this to my doc, he suggested Dandelion Root in low dosages as a daily supplement. He said it would not deplete my potassium levels (since its rich in potassium itself) and is extremely beneficial as a liver/blood/kidney detoxifier. Also, it only has mild diuretic properties, so it safe to supplement with consistently in low doses. I decided to give it a try, so I picked up Natures Way Dandelion Root and took 3 caps 3 times a day with a meal each time.

On the second day of supplementation, I immediately noticed a drying out of my physique and my musculature seemed a lot more hardened. At first I thought it was in my head, but then my sister saw me after my HIIT session and she immediately asked me if I was doing anything different. When I asked her why, she said I look a lot more "hardened and shredded" than usual. She said this with no prompting of any kind from me. As the days have gone by, I have maintained this "hardened" look and I have not upped my dosage at all. I havent had anymore water retention issues and I havent had any unusual side effects. My diet and workout routine have not changed either.

Overall im superbly impressed with this supplement and definitely recommend it to those who are dealing with the same problems I have delt with. Of course before you do, I strongly suggest you consult a practicing physician just as I did, as this supplement is not for everyone (ie. those with kidney/liver/gallbladder dysfunction).

Hope this helps.

What was the dosage you took?

[Kimmie312]

Hi, I just read your post about the natures way dandelion root. I just bought some of those today before I saw your post, but on the back it says to take three once a day and you took 3, three times a day. Did your doctor tell you to take that many in a day?

[Fabiano10]

Did you have to consume alot of water while taking?

[Fabiano10]

While taking the dosage of 3 pills what was your water intake, did you need to increase it or not?
Plz email me fabianrovella90@msn.com
Thanks