Q. I read in your column that pure pectin powder in grape or cherry juice helped aches and pains. What exactly is pure pectin powder?
The natural food stores and vitamin centers I’ve checked do not know what it is. I am using fruit pectin like Sure-Jell, sold for canning. Is this it? If not, where do I get it?
A. People have been telling us for years that a tablespoon of liquid fruit pectin (Certo) mixed in a cup of grape, cherry or pomegranate juice can help ease joint pain. Others have been experimenting with powdered pectin. We recently heard from one reader: “I use pure pectin powder (Pomona’s Universal Pectin). I sprinkle ¼ teaspoon gently on a cup of juice and then run the mixture in the blender for a minute or two… Certo costs about $3 for a jug of juice. Pure pectin powder works out to about 50 cents a jug.”
Another person spotted this advice on our website and asked where to find the powder. The answer is to order it online from www.pomonapectin.com.
The Sure-Jell you are using is similar, but in addition to pectin it contains dextrose and citric acid. Others have told us they have had success with this type of product as well.
You will find recipes for Certo in grape juice and other remedies in our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis.
