Oxalic Acid

ORGANIC oxalic acid is essential for
our body. It is the INORGANIC form of
oxalic acid that we need to be aware of.

What is Oxalic Acid?

Oxalic acid is a colorless, organic compound that occurs naturally in plants, animals and in humans. Organic oxalic acid is an important element, even essential, to maintain and to stimulate peristaltic motion in our body.

It is when oxalic acid is cooked or processed that it becomes dead, or inorganic and thus harmful to our body.

Oxalic acid readily combines with calcium. If both oxalic acid and calcium are organic at the point of combination, the result is beneficial where the oxalic acid helps the digestive assimilation of the calcium. At the same time, this combination helps stimulate the peristaltic functions in our body.

It is only when the oxalic acid has become inorganic because it was cooked or processed, that it forms an interlocking compound with the calcium that destroys the nourishing value of both. This results in a deficiency of calcium that causes decomposition of the bones.

When the concentration of inorganic oxalic acid is high, it may precipitate out in crystalline form. These tiny crystals can irritate the human tissues, and get lodged in the stomach, kidneys and bladder as "stones".

Oxalic acid is present in abundance in many plant products, with especially high content in sour grass, rubharb and buckwheat. Other plants containing high levels of oxalates are (in decreasing order): starfruit (also known as carambola), black pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, most nuts, most berries and beans.

Even tea leaves contain among the highest measured concentration of oxalic acid. However, tea beverages typically contain only very low to moderate amounts of oxalate due to the very small amount of leaves used for brewing.

Just remember, organic oxalic acid is essential for your body and is completely harmless if consumed in organic form. It is the inorganic oxalic acid that causes trouble to your body. This is the reason why when you drink fresh raw spinach juice, your body utilizes 100% of all the minerals that spinach has to offer. But when cooked, the oxalic acid in spinach becomes inorganic and may posed some health problems in the long run.

Warning: If you have kidney problems, keep your oxalic acid intake low, whether organic or inorganic. See the list below as a guide.

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Oxalic Acid Content in Selected Foods

Starfruit: Contains a high level

of oxalic acid

People with recurrent kidney stones have a tendency to absorb higher levels of dietary oxalates compared to those not prone to kidney stones. A low-oxalate diet is eating foods containing less than 50 mgs of oxalic acid per day.

Below is a list of selected foods with high oxalates content. Please take this as a guide only as the content level may differ depending on the differences of climate where the plant was grown, the soil quality, state of ripeness when being tested, and also which part of the plant was analyzed.

People with recurrent kidney stones have a tendency to absorb higher levels of dietary oxalates compared to those not prone to kidney stones. A low-oxalate diet is eating foods containing less than 50 mgs of oxalic acid per day.

Below is a list of selected foods with high oxalates content. Please take this as a guide only as the content level may differ depending on the differences of climate where the plant was grown, the soil quality, state of ripeness when being tested, and also which part of the plant was analyzed.

Vegetables with High Oxalates Level ( >10 mg / serving)

Beets, greens or root *

Celery

Collards

Dandelion greens

Eggplant

Escarole

Green beans

Kale

Leeks

Okra (lady's finger) **

Parsley

Parsnips

Pepper, green

Potatoes

Pumpkin

Spinach *

Squash, yellow summer

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard *

Tomato sauce, canned

Turnip greens

Watercress

Fruits with High Oxalates Level ( >10 mg / serving)

Concord grapes

Figs, dried **

Kiwi

Lemon peel

Lime peel

Orange peel

Rubharb *

Starfruit (carambola) **

Grains with High Oxalates Level ( >10 mg / serving)

Bread, whole wheat

Buckwheat ***

Oatmeal

Popcorn

Spelt

Stone-ground flour

Wheat bran

Wheat germ

Whole wheat flour

Nuts and Seeds with High Oxalates Level ( >10 mg / serving)

Almonds **
Brazil nuts
Hazel nuts
Peanut butter ***

Peanuts ***
Pecans
Sesame seeds *
Sunflower seeds

Other Foods with High Oxalates Level ( >10 mg / serving)

Beer
Chocolate
Cocoa
Soy and all soy products

Tea, black
Tea, green

* >50 mg / serving

** >100 mg / serving

*** >200 mg /serving