Celery cures gout sometimes, but what's the evidence?

Celery, stalks and seed extract,are eaten by some gout sufferers. They hope celery cures gout. Some are convinced, or almost convinced, that celery cures or alleviates gout. Others are not convinced. For those for whom it has worked it hasn’t happened overnight. A study has indicated that, for pain relief, three weeks is the minimum, more likely after six weeks. How is it that celery can bring relief from pain?

Celery is a diuretic, so it promotes the excretion of urine. Thus it helps removes uric acid from the body, an objective of all dietary and drug medication cures for gout. This is helpful but not unique – other foods act as diuretics too.

If celery cures gout for some people what does it is a substance in it called 3nB (3-n-Butylpthalide). Few people outside the gout community will have heard of 3nB, but it’s the substance that gives celery its distinctive smell and taste. Two well organised but small studies reached very interesting and positive conclusions about the possibility that celery cures gout. A celery extract, standardized to contain 85% 3nB, was tested on arthritis, osteoporosis and gout sufferers. The first group (15 people) were given 34mg of this celery extract twice daily; a second group, (70 people) tested at a later date, received the larger amount of 75mg twice daily for three weeks.

Both groups reported lower pain levels and even complete relief from pain. Those receiving the higher dosage (the 2nd study) fared better. Unwanted side effects were not found.

Why should 3nB work, at least for some? As with the flavonoid anthocyanidins in cherries, 3nB may inhibit xanthine oxidase an enzyme involved in the production of uric acid in the liver. So celery’s effect may be to reduce uric acid production, and remove it through its diuretic function. A study showed it has done this on rats by inhibiting xanthine oxidase. Thus there were two positive effects on uric acid levels. And it at least reduced pain in the two studies mentioned above.

Furthermore celery’s 3nB may aid in relaxing arteries, which together with its diuretic function, means it may reduce blood pressure. This is usually important for gout sufferers.

One convinced celery aficionado, Dr. James Duke, the author of best sellers called “the Green Pharmacy” and "the Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook,” caught gout. He replaced allopurinol (the xanthine oxidase inhibitor medication which reduces uric acid production) with celery seed extract. Note he used celery seed extract, not celery stalks or celery seeds. He reported that celery seed extract kept his uric acids levels below those which usually trigger gout. And that he had not had a gout attack since he began taking celery seed extract. So uric acid levels were kept down in a human, and not just rats.

A well known naturopathic doctor, Dr.Michael Murray N.D., has also endorsed celery as a natural gout remedy with the caveat that much still remains to be learnt about how celery actually works.

Read his article here. The celery seed extract article is the eighth one down. And it can be downloaded with Adobe Reader

So there you have it. Two experts say it, and two studies have shown promising results - celery can cure gout. It could be part of a natural gout remedy for you. But it isn't a panacea for all gout sufferers. And you may have to eat celery, or take celery seed extract, until you're sure gout won't return. That could be perhaps two years, or even a lifetime. The studies found that pain, in some people, returned if the celery seed extract was stopped.

How much celery? You can try fresh celery stalks.They are fresher if they are not limp.The 3nB is in the stalks, not the leaves. 4ozs (113g) daily is the minimum, that’s about four stalks but eight would be better.It goes well with cheddar cheese which is a low purine food.

You can eat celery on the diet that had a lot of success against gout in a South African study. Relevant figures are for 100 grams raw celery: kcal 16; protein 0.69 grams; carbohydrate 3 grams; fat 0.17grams. You will understand why we've given these figures about celery when you understand how this diet works... Click on this link to learn more about this diet.

For the purine content of foods and beverages see the uric acid page.

Dietary Supplement Dosage Buy only a celery seed dietary supplement extract standardised to 85% 3nB. Celery seed tablets or capsules.Twice daily for a total of 150 - 300mg daily. You’ll then know you’re getting sufficient. These are especially useful if you get bored eating celery so regularly. Or when you are travelling. Juices made from celery will also give you the 3nB. The extracts may work better than celery stalks. You can probably take celery seed extract along with drug medications, but you'll need to discuss this point with your Doctor before doing it.

Caution! Celery should not be taken if you’re pregnant, or during lactation, or if you have kidney disease. If you’re eating lots of celery or taking celery dietary supplements don’t spend too much time under the sun.

If you can take delivery in the U.S. we recommend the celery seed product below. Standard shipping within the U.S.is $4.95 on any size of order. Swanson also ship internationally. For more details about Swanson shipping rates -click "$4.95 shipping", top right corner of the swansonvitamins.com home page.

Swanson Premium Brand Celery Seed A traditional favorite for urinary tract support Contains rich concentration of phytochemicals and+ volatile oils Each capsule contains 500 mg of celery seed Celery Seed 500 Mg 300 Caps Swanson Premium Brand

Frontier Natural Celery Seed - Whole, 1 lbs A 'pinch' of this, a 'sprinkle' of that ? anyone who knows their way around a kitchen knows that you can't cook without the pizzaz of spices.

Subscribe to The Gout Dugout newsletter ! Click here if you want to read more about The Gout Dugout and the free Vitamin C and Gout report you receive when you subscribe.

Return from celery cures gout, sometimes to best-gout-remedies.com home page