Natural Treatments for Gout Symptoms

Learn how to treat gout symptoms safely and naturally, without drugs

Given the range of side effects associated with gout medications, many people prefer to treat gout naturally. Here are some of my recommendations for doing that:

• Cherries and Cherry Juice
• B Vitamins
• Olive Leaf Extract
• Celery Seed Extract
• DMSO

Cherries and Cherry Juice

These help alkalize the body systems. Many people have reported keeping their gout symptoms under control by watching their diet and eating 10–12 cherries a day. Cherry juice can also be used. Cherries can be fresh, canned, or frozen. Just make sure they contain no added sugar.

If you don't like the taste of cherries, I recommend giving tart cherry extract, in supplement form, a try. Take 1,000 mg daily.

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B Vitamins

B Vitamins help prevent stress-induced rises in uric acid levels. B1 (thiamine) and B5 (pantothenic acid) are especially helpful in making uric acid more easy to excrete. Yeast-free B vitamins are recommended.

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Olive Leaf Extract

Olive leave extract often provides relief from gout symptoms within a week to 10 days. Start with a dosage that would provide somewhere between 150 and 450 mg of oleuropein a day. 

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Celery Seed Extract

Celery seed extract is another plant-based natural treatment for gout symptoms that I've seen work consistently. Start with 2–4 capsules a day and then gradually cut back as soon as the pain and inflammation subsides. Maintenance dosages vary from person to person, so you'll need to experiment a bit to see what level works best for you.

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DMSO

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is a clear, colorless, slightly oily liquid that has been used for years to treat gout, arthritis, and other joint pain.

I recommend that everyone keep a pint of 99.9 percent pure liquid DMSO on hand. DMSO should always be diluted with distilled water. In the majority of conditions, DMSO works best when it is in 70 to 90 percent concentrations—70 percent DMSO and 30 percent distilled water, or 90 percent DMSO and 10 percent distilled water.

Using your fingers or a cotton ball or swab, apply DMSO directly to the skin where you are experiencing arthritic pain. Most authorities suggest dabbing DMSO onto an area, but rubbing it on has been shown to improve the absorption time by up to 50 percent. A typical application is 1–3 teaspoons. For acute injuries, apply DMSO every two hours for six to eight hours following the injury. For the next five days or so, apply once every four to six hours. You can buy DMSO at health food stores and from online retailers.

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More Dr. Williams Advice on Gout

• Causes of gout
• How you can prevent gout attacks without drugs