Alfalfa For Arthritis

Eating alfalfa for arthritis can be a good idea in addition to the other recommendations on this site. I don't feel it's as strong as Oriental medicine remedies, but It's a common folk remedy used in Southern Appalachia and has many benefits.

Alfalfa contains lots of minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium) that have a neutralizing effect on your blood. Since arthritis is often caused by acidosis (an acid condition of the blood), alfalfa can help reverse or prevent that condition. It also has a general detoxifying effect on your body.

Warning - something to note here. Alfalfa contains an amino acid that, studies have shown, can cause symptoms similar to systemic lupus, an autoimmune disease that also causes joint pain.

So, it's not recommended to use alfalfa powder. Instead, make alfalfa tea:

• Place 1 ounce of alfalfa in a pot
• Cover it with one quart of water
• Boil for thirty minutes
• Strain and drink the quart throughout the day.

Do this for only 2 or 3 weeks, then break for a week before starting again.

Research suggests that 10 to 20% of arthritis sufferers will benefit from using alfalfa, with an nearly total reduction of pain symptoms.

If this works for you, great. If not, be sure to look at the other treatments on this site (see the natural remedies for arthritis page ). Oriental medicine has been proven effective and used for thousands of years, far longer than most "folk remedies". It has it's own internal system of logic that works when nothing else does.

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Resources:

Anon. HolisticOnline.com. http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/Arthritis/arth_herbal_medicine.htm#Alfalfa. 12/18/2006

Anon Washington State University. http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/crops/alfalfa.htm