Drunken raisins

This was written by Wayne Cox, a former broadcaster with Global TV.   I received this from a friend and thought it was worth passing on:

As I took my spoonful of “drunken raisins” the other day, I got to thinking about other home remedies people take for what ails them.  The drunken raisins are designed to help eliminate, or at least lessen, the inflammation and pain that’s brought on by my arthritis.  I’ll give you the recipe.  

But first, how many other little home remedies have you used over the years? I’m not so sure they’re as prevalent these days, but I guess when families didn’t have as much access to modern medicine, and there weren’t as many “over-the-counter” remedies, the handed down recipes for a cure were more commonly used.

Now, you should take these remedies with a grain of salt.  (No, that’s not one of the remedies, just an expression.) When searching for some old-fashioned aids, I turned to the grand old source: Reader’s Digest!  If it’s in Reader’s Digest it must be true….right? 

As always, these days, there is a disclaimer:  “If you take pills regularly or have a chronic health condition, check with your doctor before trying these home remedies.”

Ever heard of buttermilk for age spots? You don’t drink it, you apply it to the spots with a cotton ball, then rinse with water after 20 minutes.  Who’d a thought?

How about oatmeal for bug bites?  You make a paste of water and oatmeal, apply it to the bite for 10 minutes and then rinse it off.  Itchy bug bite, gone! 

Aloe for burns.  I’ve not only heard of this, but have used it, and it works. The best idea is to have an aloe plant in the house, then all you have to do is cut open a leaf and apply the syrupy liquid from the leaf onto the burn. (Of course, for serious burns, you should see a doctor.)  

Sugar for hiccups? According to a California nutritionist, eating a spoonful of the grainy sugar crystals makes you swallow harder than you would normally. This action resets your diaphragm to stop the spasms that cause hiccups.  

Those sound pretty simple, and you’ve probably tried some of them. There are many others of course, which brings me back to my drunken raisins. Not “my” drunken raisins, but the drunken raisins I heard about from my friend’s brother one day on the golf course. Let’s call him Bob, because that’s his name: Bob.  

I’d been bothered by arthritis in my fingers, toes and my left wrist for some time. I had tried creams and ointments, but nothing seemed to give me lasting relief. My friend, Glen, his brother Bob, and I were on the 17th tee box at Semiahmoo Golf course. I teed off, and as I came through the ball, the arthritis kicked in and I winced in pain. Bob asked, “what happened?”. I told him about the arthritis pain and that I was actually considering giving up the game of golf because of it. 

He said that he too suffered from arthritis, and a year ago he had pain in his knees so bad that he couldn’t walk across the living room without excruciating pain. Then a friend told him about “drunken raisins.” He figured it was worth a try, and now one year later, he had just walked 16 holes of golf with us, pain-free. 

I wouldn’t have believed the story if I hadn’t been there and seen the results for myself.  

So, here’s the recipe his friend gave him, that he gave me, that I’m giving to you, should you want to give it a try.  

1. Get a mason jar, or any jar that has a lid. 
2. Fill the jar with golden raisins. Not the dark ones, it has to be the golden raisins. 
3. Add gin, but it must contain juniper berries as one of the ingredients, (most gins do, but check the label) 
4. Fill the jar to the top, cover it with cheesecloth, or any breathable fabric, and let it soak for a week. 

You might have to top it up once or twice due to evaporation. 

Once the week is up, put the lid on, keep it in the fridge, and you’re ready to go. 

It’s recommended that you take 9 raisins a day. You don’t have to be that exact, I figure a teaspoon full is a good measure. It usually takes 2 or 3 weeks to have the concoction kick in and for you to start feeling the difference.  

Before I tried the raisins, I saw a doctor who was going to prescribe some pills for me. I really didn’t want to take any more medication than I already was. When she said that it would take 2 or 3 weeks for the pills to take effect, I opted for the raisins, which were going to take the same amount of time.  

Again the disclaimer “If you take pills regularly or have a chronic health condition, check with your doctor before trying these home remedies.”