What Are the Benefits of Chickweed for Gout?
Five million people in the United States suffer from gout and five million people are seeking a way to relieve the pain of a gout attacks. There are many different remedies for gout pain from prescription drugs to homeopathic mixtures. Among the herbal remedies an effective one is chickweed.
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Definition of Chickweed
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Chickweed is considered a weed in the United States, though it can be a godsend to gout sufferers. The stem trails along the ground and is light green and slightly swollen at the joints. It has small petioles attached to the stem and fruit that looks like a white capsule. The flowers are small and white with five petals. Chickweed begins blooming in March and will continue into the fall.
The Chickweed Recipe for Gout
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Using chickweed to relieve gout means making it into a tea. The recipe is easy. Boil a cup of water with a teaspoon of chickweed. Then strain out the chickweed and drink the tea. Four servings of this tea each day will help prevent gout attacks. It can also be used in salads or cooked and served as a vegetable.
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What Chickweed Does
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Chickweed is known to soothe and cool mucus membranes. Chickweed also has large amounts of vitamin C, protein, flavonoids, phytosterols and glycosides. All of these have uses in fighting various diseases, but the vitamin C and flavonoids act as anti-inflammatorie, which help ease gout pain.
Other Chickweed Uses
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American Indians have a number of uses for chickweed besides a gout cure. They use it to treat respiratory ailments. Europeans have used chickweed to treat tuberculosis. Herbalists use it to treat eczema, rheumatism, psoriasis, stomach ulcers, rashes, blood diseases, hemorrhoids and eye inflammation.
Side Effects
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Eating too much chickweed can lead to vomiting and diarrhea. Chickweed also contains nitrates and too much consumption can lead to nitrate poisoning.
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References
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- Photo Credit A patch of chickweed. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
