"Benefits of Cabbage Leaves on the Knee for Osteoarthritis"
In a section of the British Medical Journal called Minerva,
where they compile interesting little snippets,
they published a picture of a woman
who they found had taped a
cabbage leaf to her knee.
She said that this was the only
measure that provided relief from
the symptoms of her osteoarthritis.
Some doctors responded with bemusement;
others were “like, duh,”
amazed to see the photograph
not because a cabbage leaf was used,
but that this was considered newsworthy.
The doctor disclosed she may be a little biased, though,
as she admits to being a
cabbage leaf user herself.
There is nothing new about this ancient remedy,
wrote another reader, used to help reduce
all kinds of painful swelling.
“Freshly washed cabbage leaves are known
in European folk medicine as the
poor man’s poultice.”
So, there is nothing freakish, or stupid,
about putting cabbage leaves
on your knees!
OK. I didn’t realize it was
such a touchy topic.
Of course, we’ll never really know
if it actually works.
I mean, there's never been a randomized controlled trial
of “topical cabbage leaves for osteoarthritis,”
and, there never will be…
until now.
The efficacy of cabbage leaf wraps
in the treatment of symptomatic osteoarthritis in the knee:
A randomized controlled trial.
Wait, how did this study even get funded?
A family foundation just stepped forward and paid for it.
I love that.
In fact, the former president
and first lady of Germany’s foundation.
After all, osteoarthritis of the knee
is one of the most common chronic
diseases among older adults;
so, let’s test the effects
of cabbage leaf wraps.
Why not?
Patients with confirmed osteoarthritis
in the knees were randomly assigned
to 4 weeks of treatment
with a cabbage leaf
on their knees every day,
or a topical pain gel,
containing an anti-inflammatory drug,
or neither.
Even better would have been
a fourth group applying like iceberg lettuce leaves,
but I’ll take what I can get.
Here’s a graph of pain intensity
over the 28-day experiment.
Here’s how the drug worked:
not much better than doing nothing.
But, the cabbage worked better.
Overall, the study found that a
4-week application of cabbage leaves
was more effective than usual care
with respect to pain, functional disability,
and quality of life.
It was, however, not in the final analysis,
superior to a 4-week application
of topical medication.
But, hey, cabbage leaves are safe,
can be used in the longer term;
and so, why not give them a try?
It also wouldn’t hurt if you ate some as well,
as cabbage may have internal
anti-inflammatory potential as well.
The anti-inflammatory effects
may explain the health benefits
of cabbage family vegetables.
Not just potent anti-inflammatory effects
in petri dishes, but in people.
Ten days of broccoli consumption
in smokers cut CRP levels 40%!
Ok, but what about for arthritis?
In vitro sulforaphane,
the magic cabbage chemical,
protects cartilage from destruction,
suggesting that a high cabbage
or broccoli family vegetable diet
may be a useful measure,
either to prevent or to slow
the progression of osteoarthritis.
But, even if sulforaphane can protect
cartilage cells in a petri dish,
how do we even know this compound
makes it into the joint
when we eat it?
I mean, no one’s ever done a study
where you like have people eat broccoli
and then stick a needle in their
knee joint to check.
No one, that is…
until now.
And, sulforaphane was indeed detected
in the synovial fluid of 40 patients
with osteoarthritis following broccoli consumption,
followed by significant epigenetic
changes of gene expression within the joint.
The next step is to see if
it can actually improve the disease.