The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Norman L (Abbotsford, BC) on 03/16/2008
★★★★★
I had serious swelling of ankles, feet & legs. And all doctors could suggest is poor circulation and one way valves in leg not working properly and would have to wear pressure socks for the rest of my life, but I was not willing for this and kept searching and trying all sorts of natural things but when finally I went back to blackstrap molasses, which I used to take for nose bleeding & cured that and after some time of use I ran out of it, & forgot to replace it and got swelling problems, but never connected it to molasses. But after 2 yrs for some reason I tried blackstrap molasses again and after some time I noticed something, less swelling to happen and gradually dissapeared and not even swelled during the day anymore and so it must be the molasses that played a part in circulation for me in my legs. I will continue taking it for this is a much better cure than wearing pressure socks, which did not go to fix the problem anyways. Thank You.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Amy (Charlotte, Nc) on 08/09/2015
★★★★★
I have tried the Black Strap Molasses remedy and with less than a week, my edema in my ankles and lower leg have gone away!!! One TBS in the am and in the pm.
Foot Massager
Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn) on 02/26/2017
★★★★★
FINALLY ADDRESSING EDEMA WITH SOME SUCCESS
HI U OLE PATOOTS DOIN,,,,,,,,, as all know I fell and crushed my T 12 three years ago and have had edema since. Took diuretic pills, PT, lymph massage, etc. with little improvement.
Was told about the MED Foot Massager, bought it and again had little help until I did some study. The leg lymph system is fed from both sides of the T 12 vertebrae and I suspected the location of my leg lymph restriction. So about a week ago I began putting my feet on the machine and then sitting on the machine while on a bench. My feet, ankles and legs began to go down so I did the regimen morning and night . Now they are close to normal.
Guess by sitting on the massager my restriction is relieved and the lymph fluid can go on it's merry way.
As all know the lymph system is the sewer system for your cell waste. Without that waste being removed, you will absolutely not feel well. Also, physical movement or exercise is the only way it gets to move. Hopefully this massager has helped my problem and may give your some ideas if you have edema.
==========ORH==========
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Posted by Janet (Sparta, Missouri, U.s.a.) on 10/24/2012
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your advice about ALA for edema. I tried ALA in 100 mg vcaps and in three days my ankles were back to normal. Earth Clinic is an awsome site, and thank you for posting on it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Yesterdaysecho_jen (Collinsville, Oklahoma) on 09/08/2010
★★★★☆
After going on a two mile walk three nites ago my right leg from knee down to foot swelled, bad. I started taking the two teaspoons of vinegar yeasterday morning and hoping to start on the peroxide treatment as well, but I'm concerned about this swelling... Though it's down some, I'm concerned about the walking now and wondering if whatever's causing this swelling the vinegar will take care of... ? Any response would be so appreciated.
Distilled Water
Posted by Josephine (Kansas City, Kansas) on 12/27/2007
★★★★★
If you have any swelling in your knees or legs,stop drinking everything and drink only Distilled Water, I promise it will take the swelling away. Please try it for a week and see results. My knee was swollen and the doctor prescribes Steriods, and instead I did the distill water.
Celery Juice
Posted by Jacklyn (United States) on 06/27/2019
★★★★★
Celery Juice For Edema
I have been suffering with Edema for years. My ankles and legs get swollen on a regular basis especially when I sit all day at a desk or if I am on a long flight. I have tried ginger tea, ACV, blackstrap molasses, and even drinking more water. I also tried walking to make the blood circulate but it still wasn't working.
Then I tried celery juice while on a vacation. After 1 day the swelling in my legs and ankles came down by half. After 2 days it came down by 3/4 and I was in the bathroom peeing all the time. By the 3rd day, my ankle and legs were the smallest they have been in years and I could see the veins in my feet. I drank the 16 oz celery juice every night. You will have to go to the bathroom in the morning. Now I have started drinking it in the morning on an empty stomach. If I miss it for one or 2 days, the swelling comes back. No other green juice works for this. I have tried. Just 16 oz of Celery Juice, with nothing added, is best. If you are adding something, which you shouldn't, it is ok to add a little bit of lemon juice.
I am happy that I found this, and I hope it helps you too.
Alpha Lipoic Acid, Beets
Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, British Columbia) on 12/18/2017
To Shirley,
After reading your post and doing some research I found that a potassium deficiency can be a contributing factor to edema. Beets are high in potassium so following the line of logic I started taking a potassium supplement - 2 X 99 mg/day plus ALA 8 X 200 mg/day with good results. Beets have also become a favourite but being a lazy cook I simply use a can of baby beets.
Elana's Vegetable Soup
Posted by Elana (Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada) on 02/27/2012
★★★★★
This is good for edema... In a large stockpot place:
2 potatoes with skins, 3 carrots, 1/2 head cabbage, handful of fresh parsley, 1/2 bunch broccoli. Add lots of water and bring to boil till tender and drink the juice. I make enough for 2 days and drink at least a quart a day or whatever you like. It tastes so good and the feet swelling goes down. I make soup from the vegetables and that is yummy too!
Cayenne
Posted by Sunita (Santa Cruz, California) on 10/09/2011
★★★★★
My dad used to mix 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper in home-made buttermilk, drink it after meals everyday as long as I can remember. He said he was cured of peptic ulcer, ringing in ears, indigestion, gas problems and something else I forgot. He died a healthy 67 yr old from an auto accident. I have been sprinkling it on my food every day for about a year now and have had no colds. When I stopped for a few weeks while traveling I had terrible problem with swollen feet so I noticed as soon as I began taking the CP swelling was gone. An 86 yr old friend of mine swears by it for candida, circulation, eczema and her good vision. She has taken capsules for past 20 yrs. I have taken turmeric with warm milk for acid reflux and it has worked wonders.
R+ALA
Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, Canada) on 10/25/2019
★★★★★
R+ALA 400mg./day worked for me in 24 hr. reducing the swelling by about 75%.
Be sure to get the one with R+. I'm not sure what the R+ stands for but in previous posts on the old site it was stressed that it was better than just ALA alone.
Limiting Carbohydrates
Posted by Edemasufferer (Port Townsend, Wa) on 12/02/2012
★★★★★
For the past 5 years, I have lived with edema in my left leg. I tried everything from lympathic massage and acupunture to Western medicine ( diuretics and a salt free diet). Nothing worked. Then, I found diet that has almost completely cured the edema, which I hope will help others that are suffering. I limit my carbohydrates to a max of 30 grams a day: every meal consists of low carb vegtables, protein and fat. No starch, no sugar, (no fun! ), but the edema has radially reduced in the past 30 days. I also supplement with the herb cleavers twice a day. I was not a "believer" when I first heard about this working for my condition. Obviously, I now think differently. Hope this helps.
Sea Salt in Water
Posted by Davy (Portland, Oregon) on 08/27/2012
★★★★★
This is a truly amazing cure, drink two to three glasses of water. In each glass add a 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt. I'm sensitive so I used an 1/8 teaspoon of Sea Salt. My lower back was super swollen from Edema tried this method and within three hours all the swelling and pain was almost completely gone!
Start drinking more water, for example if you weigh 100 pound you drink 50 ounces of water. I would drink a couple extra glasses to be on the safe side.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, Canada) on 07/06/2018
Update: Since my last post I made a mistake and bought regular ALA instead of r+ALA and find it to be not as effective so I'm going back to the r+ALA and will advise if it works better.
Lemon
Posted by Susan (Humboldt, Tn) on 07/06/2011
★★★★★
water with fresh lemon juice every morning will help with your ankles swelling. before anything else.... I drink some lemon water and my swelling has not been near as bad. Blessings
Lemon
Posted by Rita (Cleveland, Ohio) on 06/16/2011
★★★★★
Hello to everyone with the problem of swelling in the leg, ankel, and feet. I drink hot lemon aid (no sugar) twice a week. Squeeze the juice from a real lemon half cup of water heat and drink 2/3 time a week (real lemon juice is a natural diaretic) I learned this a a weight clinic and it really works!!!
Fulvic Acid Complex
Posted by Bill (San Fernando, San Fernando, Philippines) on 06/06/2011
★★★★★
Hi Everyone... A little while ago, an old Filipino family member whom we know well was reported to be suffering quite badly from leg edema as well as particularly bad skin problems all over her body. She is an 84 y o grandmother matriarch who lives alone(by choice) in the Balamban mountains on Cebu Island in the Philippines. It's very primitive there, no electricity or hospitals. You can only get to where she lives by motorbike-taxi because the roads are so very poor and its far from Cebu city.
Anyway, her family in Cebu city were worried about her and so they contacted us. The grandmother is also a vegetarian and still very healthy -- she used to hike the mountains regularly but, because of the edema, now has problems just walking. The family wanted her to go into the hospital in Cebu, but she flatly refused because she hates cities.
The gist of this was that I sent her a fulvic acid product, which also contained zeolite, concentrated ascorbate and all the major electrolyte minerals for the body. To be honest this was a shot in the dark by me -- the description of her problem given by her family was very sketchy and non-specific -- so there could have been many other things causing her problems and so I just sent her the Fulvic acid complex in the hopes that it would work for her and have particular beneficial effects on her kidneys, liver and blood. The product -- which is taken in drops and is only sold in the Philippines -- is called Quantumin Plus. The dose I recommended was 10 drops two or three times a day with water or Tea. I have seen similar fulvic acid complexes sold in the US online.
Today, we have just received word -- after a month -- that her skin problems are now healing rapidly and the edema in her legs has reduced significantly. She has been taking no other medicines(she hates hospitals too). She is now able to walk normally and apparently continues happily tending her pigs and chickens as well as tending the small coconut forest in her garden. I simply remain astonished at the power and usefulness of this fulvic acid drops mixture.
Vitamin B Complex
Posted by Susan (Townsville, Queensland) on 04/08/2009
★★★★★
Vitamin B Complex: Recently went on an overseas air flight. The 1st leg of the journey was 7 hours, my feet and ankles were extremely swollen on landing. But during the 2nd leg, 12 hours, I was lucky to find spare seats and lay down to sleep, so I had minimal problems on landing. 4 weeks later, on the return 12 hour flight, I had to sit the whole time, but I made sure to get up and walk every half hour or so. On landing, I had swelling again, but this time with an ugly red rash up the inside of both shins. 3 days of extensive walking and sight seeing only made the rash darker, although the swelling did subside. But of course it returned after the 7 hour flight home. I read at home that night that Vitamin B might help with Edema - fluid retention. I took 2 "Mega B" capsules, and the next morning, the swelling was gone, and the rash had completely disappeared, there not a trace of it, yet it had been an extremely dark, solid, red mass with slight itchy bumps, running 2/3rd's up the length of each shin. I only wish that I had known this before the trip, I would have taken a bottle of Vitamin B with me. I now take Vitamin B each day, and have noticed that my feet are no longer puffy in the mornings .. a problem that has occurred every now and then since my last pregnancy 11 years ago. Thanks for a truly informative site.