Lemon juice has long been used to help cure a variety of ailments, including nosebleeds, dizziness, as a remedy for anemia and as a way to stop painful migraines.
As well as a source of citric acid, lemon contains folate, potassium, and vitamin C. It’s also very low in cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat, making lemon highly beneficial for your overall health.
But, its ability to neutralize uric acid is what makes lemon juice a great natural remedy for gout, a painful form of arthritis which affects 10s of millions of people around the world.
Here’s everything you need to know about taking lemon juice for gout, including how it works to help your gout symptoms, and how to take it.
The Causes and Symptoms of Gout
Gout is a painful form of arthritis, caused by a condition known as hyperuricemia, which means that there is excess uric acid in your body.
Your body makes uric acid when it breaks down purines. Purines are one of the by-products of protein digestion and are found in your body and in the foods you eat.
When there is too much uric acid in the body, crystals of uric acid (monosodium urate) can build up in your body’s joints and soft tissues.
Gout is caused by the deposit of needle-like urate crystals in your joints. Gout sufferers experience swelling and pain in joints such as the ankles, knees, feet, wrists, and elbows. Painful flare-ups are often concentrated in the big toe, a symptom known as podagra.
Flare-ups can last a few days when symptoms first start to appear, but often these flare-ups will become progressively longer.
Gout can lead to painful kidney stones, and if left untreated it can cause permanent damage to your joints and kidneys.
How Diet Changes Can Help Gout
Foods high in purines, including alcoholic drinks, soda, and gluten have all been implicated as contributors to gout.
Several vegetables, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant, have also been linked to gout symptoms. This is because they contain a chemical called solanine, which may trigger joint pain in some people.
It is advisable to eliminate these foods from your diet as a way to avoid future attacks of gout. And, for long-term control of gout symptoms, it is also a good idea to incorporate foods that help to alkalize your body’s pH level.
One such food is lemon juice. Although it seems that an acidic food such as lemon would have the opposite effect, lemon juice has been found to neutralize acids such as uric acid in the body.
Why Is Lemon Juice Good for Gout?
Lemon juice can help with gout attacks in several ways. The three main properties that lemons contain that help to minimize gout attacks are citric acid, vitamin C, and potassium:
1.) Citric Acid
Gout attacks occur when the pH level of your body is lower than pH 7, towards the acidic end of the scale. This condition is called acidosis, and, for gout sufferers, it relates to an excess amount of uric acid in the body.
Studies have shown that citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, clementines, and tangerines help to dissolve uric acid. This is because the citric acid they contain helps to create or increase calcium carbonate in the body, which then reduces the amount of uric acid.
Lemon juice has the highest concentration of citric acid, with a concentration of between five and six percent. When it comes to the best citrus fruit to help with gout, lemon juice is a clear winner.
The citric acid found in lemon juice also acts as a stimulant for the liver and helps to prevent kidney stones. Kidney stones are a further complication of gout. As well as being very painful, kidney stones can also lead to additional health issues.
2.) Vitamin C
As well as citric acid, lemon juice contains high levels of vitamin C, at around 95 mg per cup.
A 2009 study showed that men were less likely to get gout the more vitamin C they took. This is thought to be because vitamin C protects against gout by lowering serum urate by helping to remove it through the kidneys.
But, while vitamin C intake has been associated with a lower risk of developing gout, there is less evidence to suggest that vitamin C helps people who already have gout. A 2013 study found that vitamin C failed to reduce uric acid levels to a significant degree in patients suffering from gout.
Despite this, the vitamin C in lemon juice has been found to help relieve the pain associated with gout. This is thanks to its ability to heal and maintain healthy blood vessels, tendons, and ligaments.
3.) Potassium
Lemon juice also contains potassium, with levels of around 250 mg per cup of juice. Studies have shown that potassium citrate helps to reduce acidity in the body.
This is because the potassium in lemon juice contains organic salts, such as malate and citrate. These salts neutralize uric acid by helping your body excrete it through urine.
Potassium also prevents crystals of uric acid forming and helps to dissolve those that have already formed. As a result, the kidneys work more efficiently and kidney stones are less likely to form.
How Do I Take Lemon Juice for Gout?
Eating lemons, in the same way you would eat apples, is a great way to reap the many benefits that lemon juice can offer gout sufferers.
But, for most people, the sour taste of lemons makes them too difficult to eat like this. So here are some easier ways to incorporate lemon juice into your daily diet to help minimize your gout symptoms.
Start Your Day with Lemon Water
Make it a daily habit to consume lemon juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
The simplest way to take lemon juice to help with gout is to squeeze the juice of one or two lemons into a glass of water. The water can be either hot or cold, depending on your preference.
Not only will the lemon juice help to neutralize any uric acid in your system, the water will help to flush excess waste from your kidneys and get your body ready and working for the day.
Taking the lemon juice and water on an empty stomach also protects your stomach from potential foods which may be high in purines.
Drink Lemon Water Throughout the Day
A single glass of lemon water for gout can only decrease uric acid by a low percentage. So, as well as your morning glass of lemon water, you need to consume lemon water throughout the day.
The easiest way to do this is to prepare a pitcher of water with lemon juice and keep it in your fridge.
You can then help yourself to it when you go to the kitchen for a drink. Having it ready-made will make it much more likely that you’ll reach for your lemon water rather than a soda.
And, if you’re trying to lose weight as a way to help with your gout, the water will fill you up and suppress appetite.
Drinking lemon-infused water before you eat will also stop you from mistaking dehydration for hunger.
Add Lemon to Other Drinks
But, remember that you can add lemon juice to anything. Lemon is delicious in iced tea for a refreshing summer drink.
Or try adding a few squeezes or slices of lemon to green tea. This is a great idea as green tea has natural anti-inflammatory properties which can also help with gout symptoms.
Adding lemon and fresh lemon juice to all these different drinks can also help you to consume more liquids than you might usually have done.
Drinking two to three liters of liquid each day is important to help your kidneys flush out excess uric acid and to prevent uric acid crystals forming in your joints.
Lemon Juice on Food
Lemon juice is also great for cooking as a way to help with your gout while also bringing out the flavor of foods such as chicken and green leafy vegetables.
Lemon juice also makes an excellent salad dressing which is both healthy and calorie-free. And, by using lemon juice instead of creamy sugar-loaded dressings, oil, or salt, you can also help to minimize the gout symptoms that some of these foods can cause.
Try Using Lemon Juice to Help with Gout
It’s clear from this guide that lemon juice for gout is a remedy that is both effective and easy to use.
With a few tweaks to your daily habits, you can reduce the pain and swelling of gout attacks and enjoy the added health benefits of drinking lemon water.
Check out our other blogs to find out more about home remedies for gout, or contact us for more information.
This Post Has 34 Comments
Can you mix lemon juice and lime juice together and it relieve gout?
I personally use lemon juice. Can’t comment on combining them as I haven’t done that.
Try alternating between the two, and see how it helps you.
Make sure to try the ideas in this article here as well! 🙂
is it safe to drink lemon juice while taking gout and anti inflammatory drugs . I am now on colchicine+profenid=cortancyl). Another thing that might sound queer yet true ; I got gout flare just after taking anti biotics ( negazole+amoxyl 875mg)
Hey Osman!
I’m NOT a doctor and cannot give you actual medical advice, I can only share my experience and my research… However, I see no harm in having lemon juice and have done that before (with NSAIDs during a flare).
Also, I would be careful to link your antibiotics to the flare. Although it’s *possible*, correlation is not causation. Just because something looks to be a cause, it isn’t sometimes.
One thing is for sure though: Drink A LOT more water. At least 8-10, 8oz. glasses, EVERY DAY. That’s been a huge game changer for me, along with the supplements mentioned on this website.
When I have gout flare up or notice any pain from my recurring gout, I’ll take a shot of lemon juice in the morning and at night. It works for me. I am not on any other gout prescriptions or medications. I do take a supplement daily, and it keeps the gout away for the most part. I will go months without an attack using the above methods. When a severe attack comes, I drink a lot of black cherry juice and that will start to act on the gout the same day. Good luck to the gout people out there, it’s a nasty and painful curse to deal with.
I have just recovered from my second gout attack on my big toes. this time swelling in the legs as well unable to put shoes on until today had to wear slippers.Dont do anything to create it doctor says its genetic. I am fighting back and have just bought lemon juice powder which I will fill empty capsules with .I am so worried about tooth corrosion I will take a capsule full of powder on empty stomach first thing in the morning with a glass of water then after each meal a capsule with water until evening meal that will make 4 capsules a day.what do you think? its organic lemon powder
I will be drinking lots of filtered water through out the day as well
Hello there Frances!
Although we’re not doctors and don’t give official medical advice, if you’re putting the organic lemon juice powder into capsules and then swallowing them, I don’t think it would affect your teeth as it would be bypassing your mouth completely.
Also, if you drink organic lemon juice with water, and then thoroughly rinse your mouth and/or brush your teeth, it also shouldn’t have too much of an affect on your teeth.
Wishing you well!
hi I am new at taking anything for gout so I have spent hours doing research and educating myself
I came across a clinical trial with lemon juice it said lemon activated the pancreas to produce calcium
carbonate so I have purchased some calcium tablets from iherb and they are made from calcium carbonate so I will have lemon powder and 1/2 tab calcium with my meals and lets see what happens
I also purchased acid/alkali testing strips to test my urine it will hopefully tell me I am winning in achieving alkalinity and hopefully dissolving uric crystals in my body. I have declared war on uric acid its not a good thing to have it can do terrible things – so its worth the effort to get rid of it
*Excess* urid acid is the issue, not uric acid itself (which is normal and good).
Those who are affected by gout have hyperuricaemia (but not everyone with hyperuricaemia gets gout).
So helping your body process the excess uric acid is the key in all this.
yes its the excess I feel that my body has lots of crystals in my fingers and toes maybe my shoulders as well . My focus is on trying to dissolve crystals and calm my uric acid output.
thankyou for being here it makes the journey less stressful
Thanks for all the tips on lemon juice and uric acid. Up until lately I was always, every night putting lemon juice in my tea. But I got an attack of gout and I thought I had heard that too much acid gave you gout – so I stopped putting the lemon juice in my tea. the gout got worse, more painful then ever. I had had it only several years ago. I will certainly go back on my lemon tea and also lemon. Thanks.
hi alma
gout is a shocking thing to suffer with .Alma lemon juice is acidic but once into our bodies becomes alkaline which of course is opposite to acidic.Lemon powder is the answer then put the powder into empty vegan capsules you can buy on internet .I now take 3 capsules of lemon powder after each meal and 1 calcium carbonate wafer 500 mg which can be sectioned – 3 meals 1/3rd of wafer with meals my swelling has gone down after 2 months and my aches and pains have calmed down .i feel that my body will have to have me doing this until i die and so be it – gout can cause problems with major organs – kidneys or heart so its worth the effort
Thank you Frances, but why can’t I just go on putting lemon juice in my water? I don’t know where to get lemon powder and vegan capsules. I am an old woman and can’t run around looking for things. Since I took the lemon in water my gout went away, and also some other aches I have been bothered with. Is that not enough? The swelling on my big toe and the muscle around it has also gone down. I don’t get gout very often last time I got it was quite a few years ago and my doctor gave me some pills, but now my doctor has retired, I have a new doctor and much has changed since then, and I have a hard time even seeing her. Another friend of mine said if it happened again to take a pill called allopurinol ( i guess that’s the way to spell it), I don’t know, but I don’t want anything to interfere with the other medication I am taking. Please let me know what you think and/or let me know about the lemon powder. Is that the same thing we make lemon cake with?
I have personally found adding actual organic lemon juice (not from concentrate) to water to be very effective. If you want to squeeze fresh lemons into water, even better.
– Chris
hi alma
i get everything i need from the internet.I find it better than running around to find organic lemons
I came across british clinical trials to do with lemon juice and 2 litres of water a day they did very well on it .Alma whatever is easy for you because you and I will be doing this the rest of our lives
all the best alma ps I personally wont take the heavy chemicals the doctor offers i prefer to do things natural lemons are a blessing you know you can make a salad dressing with lemon as well
their are many ways you can take enough lemon juice to make your body heal against gout
Thanks, Frances I also would rather take natural lemon juice instead of heavy chemicals the doctor would prescribe. I like the lemon juice in the bottle too – it’s good as queezing the lemon too. Good luck to you and God bless and keep well.
alma fresh is best only bottled juice that has no preservatives (chemicals )
i found here in australia they are using preservatives in the juice
thats why I never usedm I am allergic to preservatives
all the best
Thanks, Frances, I didn’t they were using preservatives in the bottled lemon juice. I will used only pure lemon juice from now on. thanks for the tip, and take care.
Hello everyone! My name is Paola and this is the first time I have gotten gout, you’re absolutely right, it’s very painful! I want to thank everyone for the great tips! Very helpful…. see I only have one kidney due kidney cancer, in 2016 I’m ok thank God and so far I’m cancer free! I’m old and to me is very confusing and complicated to understand what to eat and now how to prevent gout, with one kidney it’s a challenge… I actually just cot Covid19 at Christmas with a bacterial infection to top it off! Got a all bunch of medications and I’m getting better I think… still coughing a lot I heard it can last months …. I hope not, but it is what it is unfortunately! It’s a terrible virus! Then now that I was starting getting better I got gout! My big toe and my foot is very swollen..but about a month go I started drinking a lot lemon water almost all day long and I probably unknowingly helped myself and my gout would have been maybe much worse, anyway…. this is my boring story…. but I’m asking for any kind of help… any suggestions for diet???… I to don’t like medicine…. and to top it off… my doctor retired last month so I at this point I’m searching for a new primary doctor that I can trust! So….. see even so I had kidney cancer because I didn’t after have radiation’s medicare does not pay for a dietitian and I can’t afford it out pocket because they are too expensive! So anyone with any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! God Bless Everyone and may God keep the pain away! Thank you everyone! This is a great post. Paola
hi Paola what a survivor you are .I am at the moment into getting onto a better diet , one that looks after my kidneys. You see it has been shown my kidneys are not able to clear the excess uric acid from my system . I have decided to stop all animal products as it looks like my kidneys have a hard time clearing the acids .I have very high blood pressure kidney again . So my advice to you is to do the same because you only have 1 kidney and its now overloaded big time. I have to accept this fact if I am going to help myself you have too as well. I am going to eat hemp hearts instead as they have the same iron and zinc etc as animal protein but are anti inflammatory and good for kidneys. Another thing I will be doing is soaking in a bath that has 1 cup of epsom salts and 2 cups of organic applecider vinegar as this is what a kidney doctor tells patients – it pulls out toxins and helps overloaded kidneys 1 – 5 hours they say. hope you get a hold of it
Hi everybody, I have been taking lemon water now for quite sometime, and I have not had problems with gout anymore. It works for me, I don’t know about anyone else. I am so happy to have found on this web page the answer to my gout problems. My doctor is retired now, but years ago he gave me pills to take for it. But all I do now is to drop some lemon juice in all my drinking water and that’s it.
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I am here to say that yes lemon juice does help for gout. I have been taking lemon juice in water for several months now – and no more gout. Try it – and good luck everybody.
Hallo Francis and Alma! Thank you so much for your helpings tips it so good to hear that directly from you guys! You’re concern touch my heart! You guys are so thoughtful and to hear all about what you’re going true makes me not feeling alone anymore! Thank you! Thank you from my heart! Francis you’re diet sounds great! You’re absolutely right that we got to help ourselves instead of relying on to much medicine that eventually poison us instead of helping! I thank you for it and I I’m going to join you in this! Francis let help each other stay on track! And updated each other on the progress! Good luck! 🙏😊🙏 and Alma, it’s so great 😃 to hear that you’re feeling good 😊 with no flares ups due to the help of the lemons 🍋 it’s always good to hear from someone going true similar alignment as myself! Thank you 🙏 for sharing I GREATLY appreciate it! Like I said… let’s keep each other’s going strong and stay healthy! God Bless you guys! Paola 🤗🙏❤️🩹
Paola, so glad we were able to help. Sometimes old remedies do help instead of taking pills all the time. Good health and good luck to you too.
Hi Alma! Thank you so much 😊 Back at you! Health is the most important thing in the world 🌎 it’s nice to get to know good people like you 😊 at this stage… getting over Covid-19, Kidney problem (kidney cancer survivor…) I have one kidney and only and now topped off with Gout… Which I found out is Covid-19 related! Joy joy! Due to all the medicine I took my kidney got a set back… have hard time filtering the toxins! So I have to really concentrate and be very careful and watch every thing that goes in my mouth etc… anyway…it’ll take a little will power but I’ll be ok 👍 eventually…. 🙏 my friend told me besides the lemon water to boil a piece of ginger root in an approximately 8 or 9 cups of water and bring the pot to boil then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes and drink the water true the day! And you can even squeeze a drop a lemon 🍋 she’s said it’s have been working for her! So I thought I’ll pass it on! Again, stay healthy and safe everyone! 🙏❤️🩹🙏
It’s my first time of coming here, I’m not feeling alone anymore. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it will help me a lot. For 3 months now I have been having constant attack, just decided to check on the internet and I discovered that most of my intakes are things that cause gout attack, I will be back here after two weeks to give my testimonies. I believe the Lemmon juice will also work for me. Henry
Dear Henry, I am here to tell you that lemon juice added to your drink of water does help. It helped me so go ahead and try it – it will probably help you too.
Dear Henry, I’m happy to hear that you’re on board with us! I have been doing it for awhile now! Lemon 🍋 juice and Ginger Roots, first thing when I get up in the morning I take a mug of hot water I squeeze a half lemon 🍋 and drink it all before I eat anything, then true the day I drink water with a little lemon 🍋 and I alternate with Ginger water, and I have been doing really good! I don’t drink nothing else besides lemon water and boiled Ginger Water, it’s really working for me! I think if you’ll stick to it you will see good results! Henry, also stay away from processed foods! They are very bad for you, try to be careful on what you eat! Good luck 🍀 I like to hear how your doing in the near future! I really believe it’s been my saving’s grace! Fingers crossed 😊 zero attacks! 👍 Paola
I also want to tell you guys that when I cook I use lemon and a lot of Garlic in many of my dishes! I’m no doctor Lol! But Thank God so far it had been working for me! Also I think as for everything… moderation is the key! God Bless everyone and stay positive! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! Paola
Paola, I am still taking lemon juice every day in water and I have not had a bad case of gout for a long time. I have not added the ginger yet, but I think I will just to be sure the gout does never come back. Hope you had a wonderful Mothers’ Day too.
Alma
Dear Alma I’m very happy to hear that you’re doing well! Fingers crossed! Let’s keep future zero attacks! Everyone be safe, healthy and happy and enjoy the sunshine ☀️ Paola
Great article. I just started reading Dr David Permutter’s new book “DROP ACID” which is about
uric acid. I highly recommend it to anyone with uric acid problems. Apparently uric acid causes
a lot more problems than just gout.
I still put lemon in my water and so far it does the trick. I would like to know Judi, what other problem s does uric acid cause? Please let us all know.
Go to https://www.drperlmutter.com