by: Dianna Dill
In his book "Jude's Herbal Home Remedies," Jude Todd recommends drinking black currant leaf herbal tea as a natural gout treatment. Add one tablespoon of chopped black currant leaf to one cup of boiling water, cover and let steep for about 10 minutes. Strain the herbal tea and drink a cup three times a day.
Cherry Stems Decoction
Drink a cherry herbal tea decoction brewed from cherry stems. Add one cup of cherry stems to 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it simmer for half an hour. Strain the decoction and stir in 2 cups of honey. Drink a cup three times a day.
Charcoal Foot Soak
Lihua Wang, in the book "Chinese Home Remedies," writes that a charcoal foot soak is an ancient Chinese home remedy for gout in the foot. Boil 8 ounces of charcoal in water for 10 minutes. Remove the charcoal, let it dry and then wrap it in a cotton fabric bag. Place the bag in a container large enough to hold your feet, and add enough warm water to submerge your feet in it. Soak feet in the charcoal water for 30 minutes, once daily for a month.
Strawberry Leaf Herbal Tea
Steep 4 to 5 fresh strawberry leaves in one cup of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the strawberry herbal tea, add honey and drink two to three times a day. Alternatively, Jude Todd notes that one folk remedy recommends eating strawberries and nothing else for two days.
Water
One of the easiest remedies for gout treatment is simply water, notes Bill Gottlieb in his book "Alternative Cures," because gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the body. Once you have had an attack of gout, it is important to flush excess uric acid from the body with water by drinking about a gallon per day. It also dilutes the concentration of uric acid in the body. Water is not only helpful as a stand-alone remedy but also complements other treatments of gout as well.