Sloe Gin May Substitute In Arthritis Remedy

Q. I’ve read about raisins and gin for arthritis. When I went to the liquor store, they said slow gin is best for this remedy. Your Web site just says gin. Which is it? With the bad news on Vioxx, I’d really like to try this remedy soon.
A. The original recipe involves regular gin and golden raisins. Soak the raisins in just enough gin to cover them; allow the gin to evaporate; then keep the raisins in a closed container and eat nine a day.
We have also heard from readers who have substituted dark raisins for golden raisins and sloe (not slow) gin for ordinary gin. Sloe gin is flavored with sloe berries instead of juniper, the flavoring in regular gin. Sloe berries come from the blackthorn, a European bush, and have traditionally been used for digestive problems.