Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints. In addition to various prescription medications available to alleviate the painful symptoms, alternative medicinal remedies may prove helpful as well.
Drinking green tea or herbal medicinal teas with anti-inflammatory properties can soothe arthritis. Different people respond differently to certain teas, so experiment to find which one works for you. Remember that not all herbal medicinal teas are safe for everyone, especially pregnant women and those with ulcers, so read the warnings if you purchase packaged tea.
Ginger Tea
Ginger root contains compounds called gingerols that have anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger also helps with nausea; pregnant women are regularly advised to chew on ginger root candies.
Ginger tea, then, may help alleviate arthritic symptoms. Either buy a commercially prepared tea (loose or in a tea bag) or make your own. Crazy for Tea provides this recipe for loose tea:
1 cup chamomile leaves
1 cup alfalfa leaves
1/4 cup dried ginger root
3 tbsp. crushed willow bark
Combine ingredients. Keep the tea in a glass jar, away from light and heat.
Green Tea
According to WebMD, green tea has many health benefits because of its high levels of antioxidants. It is thought to help prevent cancer and heart disease, stave off diabetes and dementia, and lower cholesterol.
Green tea may also help arthritis. A University of Michigan Medical School study has shown that a compound in green tea, EGCG, helps reduce joint inflammation and swelling in arthritis sufferers. However, the study did not prove whether or not drinking green tea would have the same effect, nor how much of it one would have to drink.
It's worth downing a couple of cups a day to see if arthritis improves. Those who are sensitive to caffeine should purchase caffeine-free green tea. Green tea is available at most any grocery store.
Celery Seed and Devil's Claw
Spa Cuisine offers another delicious tea recipe for arthritis. Devil's claw, all the way from the Kalahari desert, and celery seed are the active anti-inflammatory herbs here. Author and integrative medicine pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil notes that devil's claw is widely used in Europe to treat arthritis. Finding devil's claw rhizomes may be difficult; usually just the supplements in pill form are sold.
The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that celery seed has been used since ancient times to treat arthritis; it's also a useful diuretic.
For 1 cup of tea:
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried rhizome of devil's claw, crushed
1 tsp. celery seed
1 cup boiling spring water
1. Boil the herbs in the spring water for 15 minutes. Strain.
2. Drink 2 cups per day for a month to determine if arthritis improves.
Do not use if pregnant, if you have an ulcer, or if you have low blood sugar.
Tags: celery seed, anti-inflammatory properties, arthritis improves, devil claw, herbal medicinal