Arthritis is a condition where damages to the joints of the body occur. There can be different forms of arthritis and each of them can be caused by various reasons. The most common form is osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease. It is the result of some trauma to the joint, infections or old age. Among the other types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, which are autoimmune diseases where the body attacks itself. Septic arthritis occurs due to joint infection. Deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint causes inflammation and leads to gouty arthritis. When rhomboid crystals of calcium pyrophosphate are formed in the joints, pseudogout occurs.
If one is asked to take gin-soaked raisins for treating arthritis, one is bound to think of the idea as silly. However, those who have got relief by following this procedure swear by it. It is supposed to be an effective cure and an old folk remedy for arthritis. One needs to take a box of golden raisins, not the black ones, and place them in a container. The raisins are to be covered with gin and left for a few weeks. This helps the raisins to soak in the gin. When the gin evaporates, one can start eating nine of these raisons everyday till the arthritis gets cured.
It can take six weeks or more to get relief from arthritis after consuming the gin and raisins. One has to be patient and consistent in consuming the remedy. Ideally, no substitutions should be done in the recipe. Nobody is sure how this remedy started. Till date, there have been no studies to prove the effectiveness of the remedy but certain theories put forward reasons for the remedy to be successful.
According to some, it is the sulfur or sulphides that are used while preparing the golden raisins that help in reducing arthritis. The enzymatic browning that occurs normally in a grape is reduced by treating a fresh grape with sulfur dioxide gas. The raisin is then preserved in a golden color. Some think it is the juniper berries that are used in gin that are beneficial for treating arthritis. The juniper berries are rich in Vitamin C and terpenes. Terpenes is an essential oil which is used to manufacture turpentine. Juniper berries have long been used in anti-inflammatory prescriptions.
Many others swear by the raisins. According to them, it is not the gin-soaked raisins that are helping in curing arthritis. Grapes and raisins have many anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving chemicals. The cure that occurs from taking gin-soaked raisins can also be due to the placebo effect. It is an accepted fact that when people strongly believe in some form of treatment or remedy, the endorphins and natural pain mediators present in the body get enhanced.
Again, arthritis is characterized by periods of flares and remissions. One can always take a remission period as being cured by the gin and raisins. One should never start a new form of remedy without first consulting a doctor. If one gets relief from the pain of arthritis by consuming gin and raisins, one should not stop using the standard medications.
