Fact Check: Can Muskmelon Peel Water with Sugar Remove Stones from the Body in 30 Minutes?
An Instagram post claims that muskmelon peel water with sugar removes stones from the body in 30 minutes. The user's claim is FALSE.
Claim
In an Instagram post, it is claimed that muskmelon peel water with sugar removes stones from the body in 30 minutes. The post by the user ayurvedaelegant reads " Boil muskmelon peel in water, strain it, and mix in a spoonful of sugar. Drink it, and you won't believe it—within half an hour, the stone may dissolve and pass out."
The post can be accessed here.
Fact Check
The claim by the user is FALSE. There are different types of stones that can develop in the body, but the post fails to clarify which type it's referring to. Moreover, gallstones typically require surgical removal, and kidney stones cannot be expelled from the body within just 30 minutes. Also consuming too much sugar may increase the risk of kidney stones.
What are Kidney Stones?
A kidney stone is a hard mass formed from chemicals in the urine, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. When urine becomes too concentrated, crystals form and can grow into stones. These may stay in the kidney or travel through the urinary tract, causing pain, especially if they block urine flow.
There are four main types of kidney stones: calcium oxalate, uric acid, struvite, and cystine. Stones vary in size, from a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Risk factors include dehydration, obesity, certain diets, infections, and genetics. High intake of salt, sugar, and fructose (found in sugary drinks and processed foods) can increase the risk. Symptoms include severe lower back pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, blood in urine, and cloudy or foul-smelling urine.
What are the Treatment Strategies for Kidney Stones?
Doctors often encourage drinking plenty of water to help the stone pass naturally and may prescribe medication to reduce urine acidity. However, if the stone is too large, causes a blockage, or there’s an infection, surgery may be needed.
Noninvasive options include shock-wave lithotripsy, which uses sound waves to break stones into smaller pieces that can pass in urine. In ureteroscopy, a thin scope is inserted through the ureter to remove or break up the stone. For larger or more complex stones, a surgical procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy may be used.
What are Gallstones?
Gallstones are solid particles that form in the gallbladder, typically made of cholesterol or bilirubin. They can vary in size from tiny grains to golf-ball-sized stones. The gallbladder may produce one large stone, many small ones, or a mix.
Gallstones can block bile ducts, causing sudden pain in the upper right abdomen—known as a gallbladder attack.
There are two main types:
Cholesterol stones: which are yellow-green and primarily made of hardened cholesterol.
Pigment stones: which are darker and made from bilirubin.
Some individuals may have both types.
What are the Treatment Strategies for Gallstones?
Many gallstones are “silent,” meaning they cause no symptoms and usually don’t require treatment. Many people do not have symptoms of gallstones until they have complications. If left untreated, gallstones can be deadly. Treatment for gallstones usually involves gallstone surgery.
It is important to note that removing the gall bladder is a key component in effectively treating gallstones. The most common method is cholecystectomy, which involves surgically removing the gallbladder. This is usually done through laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a minimally invasive procedure, though open cholecystectomy may be necessary in cases of severe infection or inflammation.
For stones stuck in the common bile duct, a non-surgical option called Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is often used, allowing stone removal without taking out the gallbladder. In rare instances, shock wave lithotripsy is employed to break up gallstones, sometimes alongside ursodiol to help dissolve the fragments more effectively.
What are the nutritional benefits of Muskmelon?
Muskmelon is a nutrient-dense fruit loaded with vital vitamins and minerals. It's particularly rich in vitamin C, known for enhancing immunity, and vitamin A, which benefits eye health and promotes skin renewal. The fruit also offers a good amount of potassium, which supports heart function and helps regulate blood pressure. In addition, it contains calcium and boron, both important for maintaining strong bones. Muskmelon supplies other essential minerals like selenium, zinc, sodium, iodine, phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese, all of which play key roles in supporting normal body functions and strengthening the immune system. Its high water content further aids in hydration and promotes healthy digestion.
Can muskmelon peel water with sugar remove stones from the body in 30 minutes?
Staying well-hydrated is important for kidney stone prevention, but there's no scientific proof that drinking muskmelon peel water with sugar helps in treating kidney stones. On the contrary, studies indicate that high sugar intake might actually raise the risk of developing them. As for gallstones, they cannot be dissolved using home remedies like this—medical or surgical treatments are usually necessary for their removal.
A study published by Bottrill et al. concluded that sugars present in urine may chemically promote the formation and aggregation of calcium oxalate crystals.
Another article published in the journal, Kidney International found that higher fructose intake is independently linked to an increased risk of developing kidney stones.
Hence, evidence suggests that high sugar intake may contribute to kidney stone formation.
Another article published in World Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences mentioned that muskmelon has been used since a long time to treat kidney disorders such as kidney and bladder stones. However, the article does not mention regarding muskmelon removing the stone within 30 minutes.
Therefore, the claim is FALSE. In fact, consuming too much sugar can raise the risk of kidney stones, and gallstones typically require surgical treatment for removal.
Dr Aijaz Ilmi, Senior Consultant, Pacific OneHealth Hospital in a conversation with The Medical Dialogues Fact Check Team said, “The claim that muskmelon peel boiled in water with sugar can remove or flush out kidney stones within 30 minutes has no established scientific basis. There is no credible clinical evidence that muskmelon peel can dissolve kidney stones or cause them to pass within such a short period.
Adequate hydration is certainly important in the prevention and management of kidney stones and may facilitate the natural passage of some small stones. However, whether a stone passes depends primarily on its size, location and composition, and this process cannot be reliably accelerated to 30 minutes by any such home remedy.
Adding sugar provides no proven benefit for stone removal and may be unnecessary, particularly in people with diabetes or metabolic risk.
Patients should be cautious about viral remedies promising an instant cure. Severe or persistent pain, fever, vomiting, blood in the urine or difficulty passing urine requires prompt medical evaluation, as an obstructing stone can sometimes lead to serious complications.”
Kannikka Malhotra, Metabolic Nutrition Expert, Pacific OneHealth Hospital further added, “From a nutrition perspective, there is no evidence that muskmelon peel water can dissolve or remove kidney stones within 30 minutes. Such a timeframe is not physiologically plausible. While adequate fluid intake can increase urine output and help reduce the concentration of stone-forming substances, the passage of an existing stone depends primarily on factors such as its size and location, rather than on a particular drink consumed shortly before.
Muskmelon has a high water content and can contribute to overall fluid intake, which is relevant because maintaining good hydration is an important dietary measure for people prone to kidney stones. However, this benefit comes from the fluid intake itself and not from any established stone-removing property of the peel.
Adding sugar does not provide any additional benefit in this context. In fact, diets high in added sugar may increase urinary excretion of substances such as calcium and uric acid that can contribute to stone formation in susceptible individuals. Therefore, adding sugar to a drink marketed as a kidney-stone remedy is not advisable.
Dietary management of kidney stones should be individualised based on the type of stone, overall dietary pattern, fluid intake and other risk factors. Viral remedies promising rapid stone removal should not replace evidence-based nutritional guidance or appropriate medical care.”
Medical Dialogues Final Take
There is no scientific proof that muskmelon peel water mixed with sugar can dissolve or eliminate kidney or gallbladder stones in 30 minutes. While muskmelon is hydrating and rich in nutrients, it has no verified medicinal effect on stone removal within 30 minutes. In fact, high sugar intake is associated with a greater risk of developing kidney stones. Additionally, gallstones typically require surgical removal for effective treatment.
Therefore, the user’s claim is FALSE.
