Q. At 39, my brother had knots come up on his shins. His ankles and knees got swollen, and he had pain so excruciating he could barely walk. Tests showed his uric acid levels were extremely high and he was diagnosed with gout.
He couldn’t afford prescription medicines, so he took pure cherry extract instead. Within three days, the knots and pain disappeared. His uric acid came down to normal and he has had no problems since.
His doctor agreed that the cherry juice must have worked since he had no other treatment. I have used cherry extract successfully for joint pain. If you try this, be sure to use pure cherry extract, not watered-down juice.
A. Gout is a painful irritation of the joints due to excess uric acid accumulation. Many people agree that tart cherries or cherry extract can be helpful. Anyone who tries this remedy should seek genuine cherry extract. Imitation cherry extract used for cooking is unlikely to work.
Other readers have suggested dried cherries, frozen cherries, or even canned cherries. The cherries that work best are tart cherries, also referred to as sour cherries or pie cherries. Cherry concentrate or cherry pills may also help. For more information on remedies for gout, you may want to check our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies.
