Conditions:
Gout
Principal Proposed Treatments
•
· There are no well-established natural treatments for gout.
Other Proposed Treatments
•
Folate, Devil's Claw, Fish Oil, Vitamin E, Selenium, Bromelain, Vitamin A, Aspartic Acid, Cherry Juice, Celery Juice
Gout is an inflammatory condition that is caused by the deposit of uric acid
crystals in joints (most famously the big toe) as well as other tissues.
Typically, attacks of fierce pain, redness, swelling, and heat punctuate
pain-free intervals.
Medical treatment consists of anti-inflammatory drugs for acute attacks and
of uric acid-lowering drugs for prevention.
Proposed Treatments for Gout
The following herbs and supplements are widely recommended for gout, but they have not yet been scientifically proven effective.
Folate
Folate has been recommended as a preventive treatment for gout for at least 20 years. Some clinicians report that it can be highly effective. However, what little scientific evidence we have on the method is contradictory.1,2,3 It has been suggested that a contaminant found in folate, pterin-6-aldehyde, may actually be responsible for the positive effects observed by some clinicians.
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full folate article.
Devil's Claw
The herb devil's claw is sometimes recommended as a pain-relieving treatment for gout based on evidence for its effectiveness in various forms of arthritis.4
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full devil's claw article.
Other Supplements
On the basis of interesting reasoning but no concrete evidence of effectiveness, fish oil, vitamin E, selenium, bromelain, vitamin A, and aspartic acid have also been recommended for both prevention and treatment of gout.5
Folk Remedies
A traditional remedy for gout (with negligible scientific evidence) calls for 1/2 to 1 pound of cherries a day.6 You can also buy tablets containing concentrated cherry juice.
Celery juice is another folk remedy for gout that is said to be widely used in Australia.
View References
Last reviewed March 2002 by Medical Review Board
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