Are cloves safe for helping heartburn?

Q. I have been diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). My symptom is a gagging reflexive cough.

I have found I get relief by sucking on dried cloves. When the cloves are soft, I usually eat them. I eat two to four a day. Are cloves safe to eat?

A. Cloves have been used as a spice for seasoning food for centuries, and they are generally recognized as safe for that use. Dentists have used clove oil topically for pain relief, and some Eastern medical traditions suggest cloves can be helpful against heartburn and cough.

We would discourage you from eating cloves every day, as there are some disturbing data suggesting that an ingredient in clove oil (eugenol) may alter DNA (Mutagenesis, May 2006). Whether this would cause cancer is unknown.

Q. My husband is very interested in the remedy with raisins and gin. He is really suffering with arthritis in both knees.

He takes ibuprofen or naproxen, but neither helps that much. He has seen an orthopedic surgeon, but he’s not ready for knee replacement yet. Short of surgery, he is willing to try almost anything, including something silly like raisins and gin or Certo and grape juice. Can you send us the recipes?

A. We have heard from many people who have found the gin-raisin remedy helpful. One wrote: “I have had both my hips replaced due to arthritis, and have been an avid golfer for more than 40 years. I thought I was going to need one of my hips redone this spring due to all the pain that has come back. A few days before my spring golf trip to Nevada in mid-March, I started taking the gin-and-raisin remedy.

“I used Fleischmann’s Gin and dark raisins [I didn’t know about the golden raisins]. I took seven a day in the morning and seven a day before going to bed.

“I have been pain-free ever since. I was in agony before. My pain was gone in 48 hours from the first day I tried it.”

We can’t promise your husband will get the same results, but we are sending you our Guide to Home Remedies with the recipes for gin-raisins, Certo and grape juice, and other low-cost approaches to joint pain. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (59 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. R-1, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. I have been using castor oil for years on bruises in my family. It truly works.

It also works wonders as an anti-scar ointment. I used it on a surgical scar AFTER the stitches were removed. When I went back for a post-surgical appointment, the doctor could not locate his work. I had to point out the incision.

A. You are not the first person to recommend castor oil topically on bruises. You may be the first, however, who has reported such success for healing scars. A component of castor oil, ricinoleic acid, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity (Mediators of Inflammation, Vol. 9, issue No. 5, 2000).

Some people may be allergic to castor oil, so caution is called for.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy” (Rodale Books).

2008 King Features Syndicate, Inc.