Does a mixture of potassium alum, or potassium aluminum sulfate, and coconut water eliminate kidney stones? No, that's not true: The mixture is used as a traditional Thai treatment but there is no scientific evidence to suggest it affects kidney stones and it may be dangerous if consumed in large quantities or if large kidney stones are left untreated.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by @user57460385 on November 8, 2023, with a caption, translated into English from Thai by Lead Stories staff, that reads:
Coconut water and potassium are effective and can eliminate kidney stones.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Jan 8 04:19:43 2024 UTC)
There is no research to link the treatment of kidney stones to potassium alum and while two small studies show that coconut water (archived here) may help flush kidneys and keep the likelihood of stones low, there is no scientific evidence to confirm a mixture of the two ingredients may be used to eliminate the stones.
Potassium alum, also known as aluminum sulfate, has a molecular composition that includes potassium and aluminum which, if ingested in high quantity, can link to the nervous system (archived here) and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Medical treatment (archived here) for kidney stones includes removal by surgical procedure and in the case of small kidney stones by use of medication and drinking water to pass the stones.
The FDA (archived here) considers potassium alum a safe substance, but at least one study (archived here) shows that aluminum can be toxic to human organisms, including the brain, if consumed in quantity and the regulatory agency has set a limit for aluminum in bottled water of 0.2 PPM to avoid reaching a toxic level in the body.
