Gin-Soaked Raisins (Purported Arthritis Remedy)

Akikobay's Note:

I'm posting this recipe because my FIL's second wife has had great success with it. Whether it's the placebo effect or whether it actually works, it has brought this dear woman, a former operating room nurse, some relief and she doesn't doubt its efficacy. Her comment to me was really interesting; she said that she didn't realize how much it was helping her until she wasn't able to have her drunken raisins during a vacation. By the end of three days without the raisins, her knees, which had been doing well, were swollen and very painful. Your mileage may vary. Researching the origins of the recipe, it was apparently first described by Paul Harvey in the 1990s. As with any home remedy, consult your doctor and use common sense when using this. Preparation time does not include the time that it takes for the gin to evaporate.

• Total Time: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 batch

• 1 cup golden raisin (do not substitute for any other dried fruit or color of raisin)
• 1 -2 cup gin (enough to just cover the raisins)

Directions:

1. Before you get started, make sure to read the label of your gin to check that it is made from or includes juniper berries. This is critical!
2. Put the raisins in a shallow glass container and pour enough gin into it to just cover the raisins.
3. Cover the container with cheesecloth and allow to stand until the raisins absorb the gin and the remaining liquid evaporates, about one week.
4. Each day, eat NINE of these "drunken" raisins.
5. I have read that it might take six weeks for this remedy to work, so be patient.

Reviews

[mersaydees]

Dr. Oz featured this recipe on a show in November 2010. The color of the raisins doesn't matter; his example used the dark ones commonly purchased at your local grocer's. He said they could reduce the ill effects of rheumatoid arthritis by as much as 50%. Juniper berries contain turpens and raisins contain oleanolic acid and phenols; all of which are known to have anti-inflamatory properties. Thanks for posting Akikobay! UPDATED after finally making this for the All You Can Cook Buffet special event: I used Bombay Sapphire gin and have started my nine a day regimen. Delicious and very do-able!

[mer@]

This really does work. After only 3 weeks I have no pain or throbbing, even on the dampest of days. It's just wonderful!

[Grannydragon]

This recipe really does work! We have made it and used it daily for over a decade. I used to walk around with my hands held in the air for relief of pain, with tears streaming, unbidden, down my face. With DH it was hip pain, now under control. Teresa Heinz (the catsup queen) even recommended this recipe on TV, some years back. I was not clever enough to think to post it, glad you did.