Use Cabbage Leaves to Relieve Joint Pain - Why It Works: Dr
Lettuce celebrate!
Dr. Kunal Sood, a Maryland-based pain management specialist, is sharing an inexpensive, unconventional remedy for joint pain — wrapping cabbage leaves around the affected area.
“Cabbage leaves have been used in some cultures as a topical application to reduce inflammation and pain,” Sood explained in a TikTok last week.
“The leaves are believed to contain compounds with potential anti-inflammatory properties,” he continued. “The leaves are usually applied to the affected joint after they have cooled.”
Research published in 2022 found that a cabbage leaf compress administered for one hour was as effective in improving knee function and pain in osteoarthritis patients as a cooling gel pad for 20 minutes.
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint condition resulting from wear and tear, affects 32.5 million American adults as the most common form of arthritis.
How the researchers prepared the cabbage rolls
- Common white cabbage was sourced from northern Thailand.
- Damaged cabbage layers were removed and the strong stem in the midline of the cabbage leaf was cut.
- The remaining cabbage was washed with water and dried.
- Each cabbage leaf was individually sealed in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag, which was refrigerated at 3 degrees Celsius for one week before use.
- Each participant received two or three cabbage leaves each week in a vacuum-sealed package.
- Participants had to bruise the leaves using a bottle before placing it on their knees.
“Although it is more convenient to use a cooling gel pad for treatment [osteoarthritis] knee, the use of cabbage leaves is more beneficial in some areas, especially in rural areas where it is an inexpensive home remedy to relieve knee pain,” the researchers wrote in their findings, published in the journal Pain Research & Management .
Sood cautioned that the evidence to support the use of cabbage leaves for joint pain is anecdotal, but there’s no harm in trying.
Some of Sood’s 2.3 million TikTok followers filled their bras with the green color to quell breast swelling while breastfeeding.
“It helped me a lot when I was breastfeeding,” said one woman. “I thought it was silly, but it worked well to reduce swelling and inflammation.”
#Cabbage #Leaves #Relieve #Joint #Pain #Works
Image Source : nypost.com
.jpg)
