Herbs for Gout

The herbs used to treat gout would be aimed at increasing the excretion of uric acid, and one of the easily obtainable herbs to help you achieve this would be celery, both in it's natural form and as an extract of celery seed.If you choose to treat yourself with the vegetable form, only organically grown is recommended.

Celery seeds assist the kidneys to offload urates and waste products, and generally help to detoxify the body and improve circulation.They have a mild diuretic and antiseptic action, and for this reason are an effective treatment for cystitis.Increasing the blood flow to the kidneys will increase glomerular filtration rate, and in this manner increase urine output.

Stinging nettle increases uric acid excretion, and has a proven track record dating back centuries. If you have a high pain threshold you may try hitting your sore joint with a bunch of nettles, ouch! This process is called urtication and has a claim to success in treating sore joints.

Stinging nettle facilitates the passage of urates from the body, it can be taken in the form of nettle tea,or as a tincture, the latter being the better choice if the condition is severe. Six drops of the tincture taken in warm water and repeated a number of times throughout the day should bring relief, and more importantly rid the body of urates.

Juniper berries are often recommended for their diuretic properties, however, for someone with gout it may be safer to bypass this herb for there is a risk that repeated doses can damage the kidneys, and since people with gouty conditions may already have a kidney problem this herb is best avoided.

Betula pendula (silver birch) A tea made from the leaves of the silver birch assists the removal of waste in the urine,and has been found to be beneficial for kidney and bladder stones, rheumatic conditions and gout.

Solidago virgaurea (Golden rod),is used to stimulate urine production, and has the reputation for removing kidney and bladder stones.

Burdock (Lappa arctium) is a useful detoxifier and is often given to assist the removal of  accumulated metabolic waste products such as uric acid, and is therefore very effective as a treatment for gout.

Kava Kava (piper methysticum) This herb has a long standing reputation as an aphrodisiac, it is taken by the people in the Pacific Islands for it's intoxicative euphoric effects. Apart from this it has many wonderful properties, one of which is it's analgesic cleansing diuretic effect, this makes it most beneficial for people with arthritic complaints. It brings relief from pain and removes waste products from the affected joint.

Avocado leaves and the bark of young stems are an aid to rid the system of  excess uric acid.

Guaiacum (lignum vitae) has anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce joint pain and swelling, it has been used extensively in Europe and Britain for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and gout, it relieves pain and inflammation between the attacks, and lessens their recurrence if doses are continued.

Read more: Cure of the gout with alkalies