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Guide to Home Remedies: Learn to make your own low-cost remedies at home for only $2
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Q. My mother read somewhere that vodka-soaked white raisins might be good for arthritis. She is now eating nine a day.
Mom has taken quite a bit of ribbing from the family. What is the benefit from this formula? Can you provide any written details about how to prepare them and how often she should eat them, how they should be stored, etc.?
A. We first heard about a gin-raisin remedy in 1994. Some folks tell us it is worthless while others sing its praises. Here is just one example:
“This remedy has worked for me for over two years. When I forget to eat my raisins for several days my arthritis gets much worse. I can't believe how much better I feel when taking them. Since I do not tolerate medication for inflammation at all, the raisins are my only relief.”
This recipe calls for golden (a.k.a. white) raisins. Put them in a shallow bowl, then pour just enough gin over them to cover them. Allow the gin to evaporate, a process that may take as long as a week. Then keep them refrigerated in a covered container and eat nine raisins daily.
We are sending you our Guide to Home Remedies with recipes for this and other approaches to arthritis.
I've been using gin-soaked raisins a few months now. I confess to eating more than 9/day. (I do a tablespoon per day, which is maybe 15. I figure based on my size that's not unreasonable.) Works better than anything else I use.
I realized that it must be the sulfur in the raisins that is beneficial. So, I eliminated the raisins and just used MSM pills for awhile, which is high in sulfur. They were nowhere near as effective.
I've tried various topical ointments (Icy Hot, etc.) They help, but again not even close to as helpful as the raisins. So, I'm back on my raisins again.
Wondering about the raisin and Vodka/Gin for arthritis.
Could just the raisins have the same effect?
What kind of gin do you use? Dry? Or a smooth gin? I'd like to try this.
My mother is 92 and is just now going down with arthritis in the hip. She swears by the raisin/gin habit and has also taken much ribbing about it. But why argue with cheap/easy/successful.
I had significant pain in my left hip, knees, legs and back. It grew worse as the day progressed and at the end of the day I seemed to ache all over. Finally, after over-the-counter pain medications once again gave me stomach pain, I decided to try the gin-soaked raisins, with doubt, I must admit.
I used the cheapest gin. I began with 9 raisins and thought I could tell a slight difference. I upped it to 15 per day and slowly, after a month now, I cannot believe the difference.
I am no longer bothered with the pain that filled my life from morning till night.
I would recommend this to anyone and advise them to give it a full trial because it may take awhile to take full effect.
So far, all the recipes I have read do not say whether or not the raisins/gin should be covered until it evaporates. Seems as though if they were covered, they would not evaporate. I will appreciate your answer. I am anxious to try this. I am not tolerant of pain meds.
Living in Australia, I am unable to find golden raisins anywhere. Can you please tell me either how to get them, or will ordinary raisins or sultanas be as succesful in helping arthritis?
I have been using the 'raisin cure' for the past three months. I have knee, lower back and shoulder pain. My knees are better, my back is the same, and my shoulders still hurt but their range of motion has improved significantly. I have always had a problem with medications/cures as they initially are quite effective but then the effects diminish over time. I seem to have reached a stasis with my shoulders which are the biggest problem. I awaken in the middle of the night with severe shoulder pain from sleeping on one side or the other--have to roll over and go back to sleep. I must say that the "raisin party" cure has provided the most profound and long lasting relief of anything I have tried to date. But I have not found it to be a "miracle" cure.
This was on a talk show down in South Carolina. Going to give it a try and will get back to you.
i read about the mixture of gin and raisins but could not find the amount to be used or if you can put this in a glass or plastic container. can you use dry gin?
My son is 30 yrs old and was diagnosed with reactive arthritis. He did better for a few weeks and then the meds caused bad side effects. I am going to buy the raisins and the gin and have him give it a try. I was asking God to help my son, and I believe this is the answer.
I am going to try raisins and gin, I have knee pain and I will try just about anything right now, I will let you know how it works for me.
I've tried this to help with knee pain. I also eat more than 9 - closer to 20. It really helps - seems to reduce inflammation. I notice the difference if I forget to take them for a day.
My grandmother use to make these raisins. She lived in an old farm house and had to travel down steps to wash her laundry and up stairs to get to her bed. She took these everyday and she could walk up the stairs without holding on after starting to eat the raisins every day. So I have started using them also. I have a torn ACL in my left knee and other cartiladge damage in my right knee. I cannot explain the difference only to say that I have found no pills that can match the relief I have with the raisins.
I have the recipe and I prepare it for my husband. As a matter of fact, I just finished preparing the second batch because the first one is already gone. My husband exercises a lot and walks a lot, but he has been experiencing pain on his right leg. He says that this definitely has helped him with that pain, reason for my repeating the concoction for him.
The first time I followed the recipe to a "t" but the raisins never became fully dry and I ended up draining out some of the liquid. So, this time, I just added 1-1/3 cup of gin instead of the whole pint. By the way, the regular gin was not as easy to find as the dry kind, but my husband finally found it.
I will let you all know how it comes out.
I have used this recipe for years with great results.
I stopped for a couple years until the pain and problems with my hands and elbows and shoulders were back to having real pain. I started up again and will never quit this time.
I use a package of white raisins a quart canning jar with the gin. I put the whole package in the jar and cover the raisins in gin.
I keep it closed in the frig. I just have a tablespoon or two of the "juice" each night.
Sometimes I forget and just take it the next night.
As the gin gets low I add from the bottle. I throw out the raisins eventually.
I have always said that I should make muffins with them instead.