I am often asked about cherries and gout, and, if cherries are effective in eliminating gout pain. The answer is definitely yes! Discover why here.
Cherries and Gout
Before I go into how eating cherries can help to get rid of gout, here’s a true story…
In 1950, a certain Dr. Ludwig Blau wrote in ‘Prevention’ magazine that by simply eating fresh cherries he had managed to get relief from the gout pain in his foot.
His gout had been so bad that he had been in a wheelchair. But one day he had eaten a bowl of cherries, and found to his amazement that his pain was gone the next day.
So he continued to eat at least 6 cherries on a daily basis, and in this way, managed to completely eliminate his gout symptoms and eventually get out of his wheelchair.
As a result of his letter in the ‘Prevention’ magazine, many other doctors and gout sufferers introduced the cherry remedy with great success.
More modern research has shown that cherries contain anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants and cherries also have anti-inflammatory properties.
This research has also shown that cherries have the power to break down uric acid and help your body to excrete it more readily. This leads to lower uric acid levels in the blood, and so, much less chance of a gout attack.
In terms of its anti-inflammatory properties, some research has indicated that taking just 20 cherries every day is equivalent to taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) each day!
Here’s how to take cherries for gout…
During an attack, try eating 30 to 40 cherries every 4 hours. In between attacks, eat 10-20 a day for maintenance.
If you can’t get your hands on fresh cherries, then research has shown that the concentrated cherry juice you get from health food stores can also be effective.
Other berries that can be beneficial in dealing with gout are strawberries, blueberries and grapes. But my number one pick is cherries!
Of course, we don’t really know what other things Dr. Blau may have been doing to help his gout…
There are many issues that must be looked at when trying to cure your gout completely. For example there’s diet, lifestyle, weight, underlying medical conditions, family history, medications, etc.
And there are many other home remedies for gout out there to be considered. This is worth doing because not all remedies work the same for all gout sufferers. Each case is different.
