- osteoarthritis is most common form of arthritis
- freshly washed cabbage leaves have traditionally been regarded as “the poor man’s poultice” used to reduce painful swelling
- eating the cabbages may also help
What the research says
In a 2016 study, patients with knee osteoarthritis tried 4 weeks of treatment with cabbage leaf wraps, topical pain gel (Voltaren) or “usual care”. Cabbage leaf wraps worked! They were more effective than usual care, and although not as effective as Voltaren, patients were happy with both the cabbage leaves and the pain gel treatments (1).
Brassica vegetables are known to contain natural anti-inflammatory chemicals. In 2017, researchers showed that eating high amounts of broccoli for one week resulted in more anti-inflammatory chemicals called isothiocyanates in the joint’s synovial fluid. These chemicals are known to prevent cartilage destruction in the joint, suggesting that eating a diet high in these vegetables may help with osteoarthritis (2).
This finding may help to explain why a 2015 six- week trial of the whole-food plant-based diet for osteoarthritis patients resulted in significant improvements in function and reduction of pain in as little as two weeks (3), see more in our arthritis factsheet
NOTE Broccoli is NOT failsafe because it is high in salicylates.
Failsafe vegetables with high levels of isothiocyanates include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, swedes (rutabaga), canola/rapeseed and pak choi (moderate in sals).
Does failsafe eating help?
Failsafe meals are probably more likely to contain cabbage and Brussels sprouts. For example, there are 28 recipes in our website Failsafe Recipes section that contain cabbage and/or Brussels sprouts.
This is what one reader says:
“I have osteo-arthritis which is much less painful if I adhere to the diet (failsafe eating) – if I inadvertently eat something that upsets me, I become overwhelmingly weary, my arthritis flares up and I can get bloating and irritable bowel symptoms. l often say in jest, " I cheat! I pay!" – from story [368]
References
1. Romy Lauche et al, Efficacy of Cabbage Leaf Wraps in the Treatment of Symptomatic Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Clin J Pain. 2016 Nov;32(11):961-971. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26889617/
2. Rose Davidson et al, Isothiocyanates are detected in human synovial fluid following broccoli consumption and can affect the tissues of the knee joint , Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 13;7(1):3398.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469854/
3. Chelsea M Clinton et al, Whole-foods, plant-based diet alleviates the symptoms of osteoarthritis Arthritis, 2015;2015:708152. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359818/
More info
Dr Greger’s video 4:42m: benefits of cabbage leaves on the knee for arthritis https://nutritionfacts.org/video/friday-favorites-benefits-of-cabbage-leaves-on-the-knee-for-osteoarthritis/
Our arthritis factsheet
Intro to food intolerance