My knee is bothering me, the first time in a long while. I was thinking of making this again and see if I can nip it in the bud.

You soak golden raisins in a small amount of gin. Don't spend money on expensive gin. I kept mine in a little jar. Cover the raisins with gin, and let them soak it up. They'll stay plump, eat 9-10 raisins/day.

I didn't like the taste of them on their own, so I'd put them on cereal, in yogurt, etc.

My husband's been doing this for a couple years. Not sure it's made much difference in his case but he continues with it.

Jasdip, so you just store the raisins in the gin and eat when needed?

This has just reminded me that I need to start doing it again. Call me crazy but I think it actually helps. But it's hard to remember to do it every day and like anything else I got lazy and forgot it. I'm going to do it again because my hands, fingers and wrists are really bad. BTW, drinking a martini every day don't do it. LOL!

"BTW, drinking a martini every day don't do it."

Well, darn! ;-)

My husband has the raisins/gin every morning...even when he's not hurting.

I am going to cut and paste this over for Bestyears.

Eld, the raisins soak up the gin. They'll be nice and plump. Pop them in your mouth as a treat, or as I do, put them on cereals, yogurt, etc.

Raisins and GIN. Yuck! Now raisins soaked in rum (think B&R Rum Raisen ice cream) - now that I could get behind!

that's my favorite ice cream anglo, Häagen-Dazs rum raisin

Ok, after typing in the above "recipe" I found my original:

The origin of the gin-soaked raisins cure is shrouded in urban
legend, though this famous home remedy got a boost from legendary
newsman Paul Harvey. Although this remedy dates back many many years,
the kinds of pain that have been relieved or eliminated after taking
the gin-soaked raisin formula include migraine headaches, gout and
arthritic pain. Many experts will tell you this is nothing but a
placebo effect, but any herbalist can easily spot the science behind
it. It would stand to reason that the alcohol in the gin would
extract the medicinal compounds in the rai sins, just as it does in
other herbal tinctures.

But why specifically GIN and Golden raisins?

Gin started out as a herbal medicine before it
was adopted as an alcoholic drink by the manufacturers of spirits.
Even today, while there many varieties of gins, juniper still remains
a common ingredient to impact the flavor to all of them.

Gin is a spirit flavored with juniper berries. Juniper berries
were first used by the Greeks and then later the Egyptians and
Romans. In fact, the use of berries as medicine is believed to
predate their use in food preparation. Some of the notable medical
uses of juniper berries in alternative medicine include its use as a
diuretic and appetite suppressant. It is also used in the treatment
of arthritis
and rheumatism.

Juniper berries are rich in vitamin C, catechins,
alpha-terpineol, alpha-pinene, betulin caryophyllene, limonene,
menthol, rutin, and delta-3-carene. These are all anti-inflammatory
compounds.

Since gin contains alcohol, it is an effective solvent in
traditional medicine. Gin is often used to extract the active
ingredients of barks, leaves, roots and other plant plants used as
herbs. Besides water, alcohol is the other popular solvent for
obtaining and dissolving herbal extracts. Gin makes an especially
good candidate as an alcohol for herbal extraction.

Golden raisins also contain several
anti-inflammatory compounds: ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), cinnamic
acid, coumarin, myricetin, quercetin, and loaded with antioxidants
such as resveratrol and vitamin C. Raisins also contain ferulic acid,
gentisic acid and salicylic acid — known pain relievers. In
addition, raisins contain potassium and calcium, both of which help
protect against bone de-mineralization.

The basic powerhouse of nutrition, properties found in raisins are
numerous - Iron, Zinc, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese,
Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B vitamins, Anthocyanins

Golden raisins are treated with sulfur dioxide in
order to slow down the browning process. After this, they are either
oven-dried or flame-dried. Sulfides left on the grapes after drying
are thought to provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Sulfur is common
in many other treatments for arthritis.

The exact causative pathways of arthritis and arthritic pain are
unknown, and there may be many mechanisms in the body that are
affected in the development of arthritis.

Perhaps the synergy between the various natural compounds in the
drunken raisins remedy creates a communication with the body to allow
it to heal on a complex level that modern science cannot yet analyze
or address.

RECIPE:

1. Put one packet of golden raisins
   in a shallow glass container and pour enough gin into it to just
   cover the raisins (I never use THAT much gin I just stir them up
   well every day!)
2. Let the raisins absorb the gin and the remaining liquid
   evaporates, about 7-10 days to allow the raisins to steep in the
   gin.(about 5 days is enough)

Allow all the gin to evaporate before putting the gin-soaked
raisins a container.

Originally it said, to take 9 raisins daily, but I just use a
small (very small) spoon full, one in the morning, and one at night.
I find it works best, if I take it close to every 12 hours.

Moni now:

Yes, I take them.

I take two small teaspoons full daily, 12 hours apart. I started
out with the 10 daily, but didn't have any satisfying results in 4
weeks. I went up to 10 in the morning, and 10 in the evening... but
not at decent intervals as I do now. The 12 hours between made a HUGE
difference for me. I actually wear a watch with a 12 hour timer going
ALL THE TIME, because for me this works. Went from 10 or more pain
full stabbing pains in my hands/fingers hourly to about 10 or less
pains monthly.

I am an avid believer.

First time to the liquor store for Gin; I was asked, what I need
it for, and they said, here, this is what people buy for it and was
handed a small bottle.

Now, I just buy the big bottle, cause it's more economic that way.

Dump a box of raisins in a pie pan, or other glass or porcelain
flat container (not metal), and pour gin over.

Let it sit for 3 to 5 days, stirring once or twice daily.

Put in mason jar, or other tightly lid container and keep on a
shelf.

Yes, no need to refrigerate!

I even take a small bottle like a film container size with me,
when I know, I might not be home when my timer goes off.

I hope, this works for every one as well as it does for me.

Moni

P. S. No offense on my part Moni. I just love rum raisin. Can't imagine gin raisins being tasty comparatively.

Rob, it isn't about taste, it is about what makes you feel better. Truly, like swimming laps , I don't like swimming laps, but in order to keep my joints from freezing up I added swimming laps to cycling, which I love, and walking which I don't mind. I do want to be able to continue moving in spite of having arthritis in all my joints.

Moni

About five minutes ago, before I saw this thread, I noticed my bottle of Osteo Bi-Flex Platinum pills on my desk. I find they work better than anything and I keep forgetting to take them. One pill a day works for me, but 1 2x a day is recommended. Expensive but they work. Not overnight: it takes time to build up in your system.

When I was coming off HRT for menopausal symptom, but still having too many hot flashes, I used gin to make a extract of vitex (from my backyard bush.) It did taste nasty, but it did seem to help.

I've not tried the raisin/gin remedy, but probably should since it would be less expensive than the tart cherry juice which I currently find very effective for my arthritic fingers. I use Glucosamine/chondroitin/msm for my knees - not arthritis there (yet) just occasionally a reminder that there is wear & tear happening. That does seem to eliminate those pains for a long time.

Raee, how much tart juice do you need to drink and what brand do you buy?

I buy whatever brand I find on sale! Most often Knudsen, I think.

Just a small juice glass ~ 4 ounces daily does the trick. It even reduced the chronic swelling on one finger.