Gout—an arthritis in which excess uric acid crystallizes in joints and the afflicted cannot purge uric acid (which is produced when digesting certain foods like coffee, protein, soft drinks, and certain heavy meats and vegetables)—afflicts about two million people, mostly middle-aged men and some post-menopausal women. In addition, if they seek something to help with gout, natural remedies are readily available.
Apple cider vinegar is one such home or folk remedy—adding rose hips to vinegar and boiling it before applying it to the area affected by the condition. The drawback is that you have to apply it a few times a day for a few weeks, but the good news is that the vinegar attacks the blood pH in order to turn the crystallized uric acid into liquid you can purge. At the same time, mix two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of raw honey in a glass of water to have when you eat.
Black cherry juice is another such remedy. If you drink natural concentrated juice in several teaspoons a day, you are likeliest to experience relief within 48 hours. You can also add minced fresh garlic to the black cherry juice for a more potent counterattack.
If you like blueberries, they can help you ease gout’s pain with their anti-inflammatory compounds, anthocyanins. If you are a tea drinker, buchu tea can help dissolve and purge crystallized uric acid. If you have a thing for fresh cherries, six to eight a day should relieve gout symptoms. Have a cup of strawberries with meals—they neutralize uric acid. In addition, parsley is not just a garnish—it is a natural diuretic.
Look on your spice rack or in your spice cabinet—there are several home/folk remedies for gout sitting there. You can dab a solution of one-tablespoon cayenne pepper in a cup of vinegar and a cup of water onto the affected joint. You can take 500 mg of celery seeds (but if you are a woman and pregnant, the diuretic effect makes it untenable) or cook a tablespoonful in two cups of water until soft, then strain and drink half a cup four times a day. You can grind a third of a cup of ginger into your tub and soak for thirty minutes, causing a sweat enough to purge uric acid from your tissue—but remember to dry off thoroughly, since ginger on your skin can cause irritation.
Those are only a few home or natural remedies for gout treatment. However, if they seem the more benign, be advised that there are slightly more aggressive kinds, such as a castor oil pack. White flannel in warm castor oil wrung and placed over the infected area after being covered in a plastic wrap beneath a heating pad, can relieve pain if done for an hour twice a day.
