Has anyone tried celery seed capsules?

Foot care
1

Hi fellow gout sufferers. 

Has as anyone mentioned taking celery seed in the past?

Over the years I've suffered from gout in my feet. The latest attack lasted for weeks and moved from foot to foot almost on a daily basis. It was mainly along the sides and on the top of my feet.

Colchicine controlled the symptoms but not for long. My GP prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. They helped a little. So I did a google search and came up with celery seed medication. I took four capsules a day. My gout was got worse before it got better. After a month of taking the capsules I was clear. Two months later Im still clear of any symptoms. Hurrah!

In addition - and don't laugh - every hour or so, while watching the TV I sit back, stick both legs high in the air and frantically wiggle both feet for a few seconds. The idea is to loosen the joints that harbour the uric acid crystals. That's something I thought of; maybe it helps, I don't know. It's worth trying though.

any feedback would be invaluable. 

 

2

Yes I take one a day with a Vit C supplement. Ive not had an episode since April but to be honest I go years with no attacks. I just decided id try these supplements to help lower my acid level along with weight loss. So I can't really say if they worked or not. 

3

Raising the feet is known to improve symptoms of gout. 

However, I would be careful about declaring victory over gout on the basis of 2 months; it comes and go. But I would reiterate that the important thing for gout is to not be symptom free, but to address the underlying hyperuricemia which if untreated will kill many. 

4

I'm no doctor so my knowledge is limited regarding this matter. However, it does seem that celery seed stimulates the kidneys into passing urine more readily, so it's important to drink lots of water which in turn hopefully helps to flush out uric acid.

5

Cheaper way of stimulating the kidneys into passing more urine: drink more water ;-)

6

Yes, as I mentioned, fresh celery or celery seed has worked wonders for me.  It is supposed to have a compound in it, 3nb (3-n-butylphthalide​), which very specifically blocks purines from converting to uric acid.  It is also a mild diuretic.  It also gives celery its distinctive taste. Celery seed is a quick an easy way to add a nice flavor to many dishes!

​I was trying this and that "alternative" remedy.  Cherries - do nothing for me, but taste nice.  I had "real" gout, it started in the toes, it hurt like the devil, it was red and swollen - and I had just eaten a bunch of fresh trout, which I had not realized was on the bad list!  I tried a couple of sticks of celery and - hey, maybe it was helping?  I soon discovered celery seed capsules were available and more convenient, so after the gout attack cleared I started taking a capsule now and then, and finally regularly.  Was also hoping it would help with blood pressure - but nah, not so much.

​So a couple of weeks ago I had what felt like gout, but was not in my toes, was not red and swollen, and moved around a lot, almost hourly, from one joint in my foot to another, and even included one knee. I took more celery seed.  And more.  And it still hurt!  And just before I lost faith in celery, I finally read up about pseudo-gout.  Doh!  I can now go back and reclassify my gout attacks over the past eighteen years, some were gout, some were pseudo-gout - and some, I think, included both.

​But I have not had any real gout for the couple of years now I've been taking the celery seed.  And if you have real gout, it brings at least modest relief within a couple of hours.  And if you shop around a little you can buy the loose seed in bulk for almost nothing, the capsules are modestly expensive, and the loose seed in tiny bottles in the spice department can be modestly expensive, too.  And fresh celery is generally cheap, but you want to eat at least three to five stalks a day, to have full effect.

7

Thanks, jx41870.

Your detailed reply is most welcome. Let's hope others try celery too. I'm surprised that you reckon it can work that quickly to relieve the attack. 

As as I said previously, it got worse before getting better, as it does with alapurinol which also takes time to clear out the christals from the joints. 

8

I've read the little research there is on celery seed oil. From that research I see no reason that any rat should suffer from high blood pressure again :-)

It seems that the celery seeds oil (CSO) works by increasing urination by stimulating the kidneys. 

It is speculated that the CSO would help gout by the increased urination.  

Whilst there is no evidence it sounds reasonable that CSO has an effect on gout. NB it is warned that those with kidney issues should not take CSO.

9

Have you had the test to prove that it is pseudo gout?

10

No, have not even discussed with a doctor since I self-diagnosed, probably will do so in a few weeks.  But I didn't even know there was a test!  Even for regular gout what kind of test is there?  They can measure your blood uric acid, but they'd have to cut open your toe to truly prove it, afaik.

11

It's a simple blood test, that's all. 

12

The gold standard for confirming both gout and pseudo gout is extraction of synovial fluid from a joint. There is a slight risk and this may be why they are often reluctant to do it.