Herbal remedies for gout can be very effective gout treatments, minus the potentially harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals.  When you’re searching around on the web for herbal remedies for gout you will no-doubt find lots of unfounded myths!

But the fact is, there have been many scientific studies documenting which herbal remedies for gout work well and which don’t.  These studies have spanned the globe looking at herbal medicines from the Americas, to Asia, to Europe.

Bottom line is that in earlier times, when people lived closer to the earth, they knew exactly which herbal remedies work for gout.  This wisdom was almost lost through time, but is now being rediscovered and is a powerful ally in the battle against gout!  Read on.

What Are These Natural Methods?

Herbal Remedies for gout – or herbal medicine for gout – pre-date the advent of modern pharmaceuticals.  In fact, many gout pharmaceuticals are isolated concentrations of the medicinal qualities of certain herbs.

Herbal Remedies for gout are based upon the simple use of “herbs” as medicine, and herbs are basically plants!  Herbs used for medicine have been studied and cultivated over thousands of years, which has resulted in detailed knowledge about which part of the plant has the most of the medicinal potency.  Some herbal remedies use the leaves of the plant, some use the stems, some the roots, the flowers, the seeds, etc.

A point of distinction . . . in this article I am focusing on herbal medicine, not food.  There is a fine line between plants you eat for nutrition, and plants you consume for medicine.  To learn more about which foods have medicinal effects, and what you should be eating to conquer gout, check out my page on Gout Diet.

Instead of Pharmaceuticals?

The benefits of using herbal remedies, or herbal medicine, for gout are that you will rarely have any side effects, and often you will have improvements to your health on a broader more holistic level.  In other words, sometimes the use of herbal remedies will result not only in clearing up your gout symptoms but also in improving your overall health.

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I’m happy to have you as my gout coach. I really needed the support. There are not too many of us out there and the ones that are prefer to just rely on drugs. That is why I felt so alone in my struggle. After reviewing your Session on movement I had an epiphany when you said how acidic a body can get after over exertion. Then I though to myself the last two times I felt gouty was after working out waaay too hard. But, I never actually made the correlation. I just thought lactic acid and uric acid were two different things and were not related in terms of gout. I have learned to moderate my workouts to about an hour and I just did yoga last night. I felt good and was able to sleep good last night. Usually I worked out hard for like 3-4 hours, totally red-lined it, then would feel super hungry after 4 hours. I would eat a small meal, then would try to ignore my hunger cravings for another few hours, then I would just pig out and stay up all night cuz my body can’t relax from all the adrenaline still in my body. In retrospect it seemed extremely counterintuitive when my goal was to be healthier and prevent gout. I am so happy to have you as my personal gout coach. Life is hard enough as is, and when you add gout on top of that it can get too damn overwhelming. It is hard enough to do it alone, but knowing I have you on my side gives me a great sigh of relief and more confidence that I can finally succeed. ~ Roland

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Types of Herbal Remedies for Gout

There are three main ways that herbal remedies for gout can help:

  • Minimize the production of uric acid.
  • Increase the excretion of uric acid.
  • Minimize the pain of inflammation.

Below is a brief summary of these herbal remedies for gout, with links to in-depth information about the scientific studies conducted on these herbal medicines.

Minimize Uric Acid Production

You probably already know that uric acid is a normal chemical inside your body which usually is in a “fluid” state . . .  but when there is too much uric acid it can “solidify” into sharp crystals that lodge into your joints.  Once these crystals lodge into your joints, your body says “ouch! . . . something’s not right” . . . and then creates inflammation . . . ie the dreaded gout attack.

Xanthine Oxidase is the “enzyme” which essentially causes the production of uric acid.  So, one way to prevent gout attacks is to inhibit, or limit, xanthine oxidase so that it cannot produce so much uric acid.  The most common gout drug, allopurinol, works in this way.  However, there are many horrific potential side effects to this drug . . . and some people cannot take it or don’t want to.

Fortunately, there are TONS of herbal remedies for gout that work in the same way as allopurinol . . . by inhibiting xanthine oxidase.  And some of them are as much a 87% as effective was allopurinol, but without the side effects.

Herbal Remedies to Inhibit Xanthine Oxidase

Here I’m going to give you a summary list of the herbal remedies for gout that have been documented to inhibit, or limit, xanthine oxidase.  If you’ve never heard of these . . . don’t panic!  Some are from the Americas and Europe, but many are from Asia and China because herbal medicine has been cultivated and studied so extensively there.

All of these herbal medicines are available to you no matter where you live!  There are websites where you can mail order any one or all of them.

To simplify matters, on this page I am only giving you the MOST POTENT herbs, but for a complete list please visit my in-depth page on Herbal Remedies for Gout that Inhibit Xanthine Oxidase.

Here’s the list, starting with the MOST POTENT ones, and going down from there:

  1. Larix laricina, commonly known as Tamarack, has the highest activity with an inhibition of 86.33% (as compared to allopurinol).  This is HUGE!
  2. Pistacialentiscus (leaves and seeds) showed a 72.74% rate of inhibition.
  3. Salvia spinosa L., related to sage, had an inhibition rate of 71.5%.
  4. Chrysanthemum coronarium L., from the chrysanthemum family, weighing in at 57.3% inhibition.
  5. Fraxinusangustifolia – 53.92%.
  6. Anthemis palestina Boiss., commonly known as Israeli Chammomile, at 51.5%
  7. Achillea biebersteinii Afansiev, known as Yellow Milfoil, showed 45% inhibition.
  8. Rosmarinus officinalis L., common name Rosemary, showed  42% inhibition.
  9. Ginkgo biloba L., common name Ginko, showed 39.2% inhibition.
  10. Lavandula angustifolia Mill., common name Lavendar, showed 28.7% inhibition.
  11. Helianthemum ledifolium (L.) Mill., related to Rock rose, Sunrose, Rushrose, at 28.4%.
  12. Majorana syriaca (L.) Kostel., known as Marjoram, showed 25.1% inhibition.
  13. Mentha spicata L., good old spearmint, showed a 22.5% rate of inhibition.

There are MANY other herbal remedies for gout – too many to list in this overview summary. For the full list, again, please check out my page on Herbal Remedies for Gout that Inhibit Xanthine Oxidase.

Increasing Uric Acid Elimination

Another way to prevent gout attacks is by getting RID of more uric acid.  We end up with too much uric acid because either (a) we make too much of it, or (b) we don’t eliminate enough of it.  And when I say “eliminate” . . . think pee and poop.

It is well-documented that when you have too much uric acid it is usually because of (b) not eliminating enough of it.  This happens because your kidneys are not functioning well.  So the focus of the herbal remedies to increase uric acid elimination is all about improving the health and functioning of the kidneys, and also to specifically stimulate excretion of uric acid.

Herbal Remedies for Gout that Increase Elimination of Uric Acid

Here I’m going to give you a list of the herbs that have been scientifically studied and documented to increase the elimination of uric acid.  Unlike the section above, these studies did not quantify the results in percentages, but if you want to know all the details to the studies you can find them on my page Herbal Remedies for Gout that Increase Uric Acid Elimination

Here’s the list:

  1. Smilax china L.
  2. Mulberroside A
  3. MSD or “Four-Valiant Decoction for Well-being” is a Chinese traditional formula of a decoction with four components:
    1. Honeysuckle flower, lonicera (90 grams)
    2. Ningpo figwort root, scrophularia (90 grams)
    3. Tangkuei, Chinese angelica root (90 grams)
    4. Licorice root (90 grams)
    5. Mangiferin, a chemical compound naturally found in mangoes, Anemarrhena asphodeloides (a rhizomatous plant used in Chinese traditional medicine), and Iris unguicularis (a rhizomatous flowering plant).
    6. Cortex fraxini is commonly known as Ash Bark. It is the dried branch bark or stem bark of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance, Fraxinus chinensis Roxb., Fraxinus chinensis Roxb. var. acuminata Lingelsh. or Fraxinus stylosa Lingelsh. (Fam. Oleanaceae).

Minimizing the Inflammation of a Gout Attack

If you are right in the middle of a gout attack right now, this section is for you!  The previous sections were about herbal remedies for PREVENTING gout attacks . . . but this section is all about herbs to reduce the pain of inflammation after a gout attack has begun.

To recap, a gout attack starts when you have too much uric acid “floating” in your blood stream . . . and then it stops floating and “deposits” into one or more of your joints.  These deposits are tiny, sharp needle-shaped crystals of uric acid . . . and they hurt like hell!  So your body in all its wisdom sends in “the troops” and creates an inflammatory response.

Basically, inflammation is your body’s way of forcing you to stop what you’re doing and course correct!  Your body says, you’ve been treating me like crap and now I’m going to show you who’s boss!  And suddenly, you cant walk . . . you are forced to stay home and rest and start treating your body better.

Herbal Remedies for Gout to Minimize Inflammation

So, in order to put an end to the gout attack, one of the things you can and should do is to minimize the inflammation.  There are other more important things to do, which I go over in great detail in my handbook Kill Your Gout NOW! But, here I’m going to give you a list of effective herbal remedies for gout that focus on minimizing inflammation.

Now, keep in mind that there are scads of herbs to minimize inflammation in general, all of which will help to some degree.  But the following list shows the herbs that have been scientifically studied and documented to help with the inflammation of gouty arthritis.  To learn more about the details of these scientific studies, please check out my page, Herbal Remedies for Gout that Minimize Inflammation

Here’s the list:

  1. Paederia scandens (Lour.)Merrill
  2. Bing sweet cherries.
  3. Parthenolide is a potent natural anti-inflammatory compound derived from the medicinal plant Tanacetum parthenium or more commonly known as Feverfew. This compound is found in its highest concentration in the flowers and fruits of this plant.
  4. Devil’s Claw, or Harpagophytum procumbens, is a plant belonging to the sesame family and usually found in arid environments.
  5. Caryocar coriaceum Wittm., popularly known as Pequi, is a fruit-bearing plant similar to avocadoes. They are common in Brazil and have been widely used for skin inflammation, respiratory infections, wound healing, and muscle pain. This study looked into the anti-inflammatory effect of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. fruit pulp fixed oil applied topically to inflamed and edematous (swollen) mice ears.
  6. Ruxiang, or Gummi olibanum, or most commonly known as frankincense, is an aromatic gum resin derived from the Boswella carterii Birdw. tree. This has been traditionally used in China to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.

Summary of Herbal Remedies for Gout

In Sum, there are three types of herbal remedies for gout (herbal medicines for gout) that either minimize the production of uric acid, increase the elimination of uric acid, or minimize the inflammation of a gout attack.

Even though many of these herbal remedies sound foreign and exotic, the fact is you can mail order all of them from the internet!

So if you are a person who is unable to take gout pharmaceuticals, or simply wish not to because you are a person of superior wisdom . . .  then give these herbal remedies for gout a try.

Order of Priority:  Air, Water, Food, then Herbs

One thing you MUST know . . . there is an order of priority for how to prevent and treat gout.  It goes like this:

  1. Air – Proper breathing is the MOST important weapon you have for fighting gout.
  2. Water – If you don’t drink enough water, and the right kind of water, it does NOT MATTER what you eat or what herbs you take.
  3. Food – Food is more important than herbs.  You cannot eat poorly and expect your gout to go away just because you take some herbs!
  4. Herbs – Herbs can be very effective when you have all of the above in place first!

Commitment and Education Come First

If you want to be completely gout-free, like me, there are two things you must have: commitment and education . . . in that order.  First, you make a commitment to YOURSELF that goes something like this:  Come hell or high-water, I WILL kill this gout beast deader than a doornail once and for all!

After the commitment, you next have to “get smarter”.  You can’t keep doing the same old sh!t expecting different results.  You have to LEARN HOW to fight gout, and once you are armed with knowledge . . . the gout beast does not stand a chance.  To learn all you need to know, check out my handbook, Kill Your Gout NOW!

 + References

Xanthine Oxidase Inhibiting Herbs

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the methanolic extracts of selected Jordanian medicinal plants.

Hudaib MM, Tawaha KA, Mohammad MK, Assaf AM, Issa AY, Alali FQ, Aburjai TA, Bustanji YK
Pharmacogn Mag. 2011 Oct; 7(28):320-4. doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.90413.
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of Vietnamese medicinal plants

Nguyen MT, Awale S, Tezuka Y, Tran QL, Watanabe H, Kadota S.

Biol Pharm Bull. 2004 Sep; 27(9):1414-21.

Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630-Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.

Xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of northeastern North American plant remedies used for gout

Owen PL, Johns T.

J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Feb; 64(2):149-60.

Department of Plant Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qué, Canada

Inhibition of xanthine oxidase by some Chinese medicinal plants used to treat gout

Kong LD, Cai Y, Huang WW, Cheng CH, Tan RX.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2000 Nov; 73(1-2):199-207.

Institute of Functional Biomolecule, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, 210093, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

Olea europaea leaf (Ph.Eur.) extract as well as several of its isolated phenolics inhibit the gout-related enzyme xanthine oxidase

Flemmig J, Kuchta K, Arnhold J, Rauwald HW.

Phytomedicine. 2011 May 15; 18(7):561-6. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.10.021. Epub 2010 Dec 8.

Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany.

Uric Acid Excretion Herbs

Anti-hyperuricemic and nephroprotective effects of Modified Simiao Decoction in hyperuricemic mice

Hua J, Huang P, Zhu CM, Yuan X, Yu CH.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jun 26; 142(1):248-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.04.052. Epub 2012 May 8.

The Second People Hospital of Xihu District, Hangzhou 310024, China

Mangiferin promotes uric acid excretion and kidney function improvement and modulates related renal transporters in hyperuricemic mice

Hu QH, Zhang X, Wang Y, Kong LD

Yao Xue Xue Bao. 2010 Oct; 45(10):1239-46

State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

Protective effects of cortex fraxini coumarines against oxonate-induced hyperuricemia and renal dysfunction in mice

Li JM, Zhang X, Wang X, Xie YC, Kong LD.

Eur J Pharmacol. 2011 Sep;666(1-3):196-204. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.05.021. Epub 2011 May 23

State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China

Mulberroside A possesses potent uricosuric and nephroprotective effects in hyperuricemic mice

Wang CP, Wang Y, Wang X, Zhang X, Ye JF, Hu LS, Kong LD

Planta Med. 2011 May;77(8):786-94. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1250599. Epub 2010 Dec 10.

State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, P. R. China.

Inflammation Reduction Herbs

A review of the biological and potential therapeutic actions of Harpagophytum procumbens

Grant L, McBean DE, Fyfe L, Warnock AM

Phytother Res. 2007 Mar; 21(3):199-209

Institute of Comparative Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, Scotland

Effect of isolated fractions of Harpagophytum procumbens D.C. (devil’s claw) on COX-1, COX-2 activity and nitric oxide production on whole-blood assay

Anauate MC, Torres LM, de Mello SB

Phytother Res. 2010 Sep; 24(9):1365-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3124

Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology Division, São Paulo, Brazil

Topical anti-inflammatory effect of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. (Caryocaraceae) fruit pulp fixed oil on mice ear edema induced by different irritant agents

Saraiva RA, Araruna MK, Oliveira RC, Menezes KD, Leite GO, Kerntopf MR, Costa JG, Rocha JB, Tomé AR, Campos AR, Menezes IR

J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Jul 14; 136(3):504-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.07.002. Epub 2010 Jul 17

Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA), Departamento de Química Biológica, Laboratório de Farmacologia e Química Molecular, Crato, CE, Brazil. [email protected]

In vivo topical anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities of the fixed oil of Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. seeds

de Oliveira ML, Nunes-Pinheiro DC, Tomé AR, Mota EF, Lima-Verde IA, Pinheiro FG, Campello CC, de Morais SM

J Ethnopharmacol. 2010 May 27; 129(2):214-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.03.014. Epub 2010 Mar 21

Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE), Campus do Itaperi, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

Effects of an acetone extract of Boswellia carterii Birdw. (Burseraceae) gum resin on rats with persistent inflammation

Fan AY, Lao L, Zhang RX, Wang LB, Lee DY, Ma ZZ, Zhang WY, Berman B

J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Apr; 11(2):323-31

Center for Integrative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21207, USA