Originally Posted by
TanyaL
Does it have to be gin? Not any other liquor? You say this is an old Indian recipe. American Indian? Before Europeans came American Indians used alcohol strickly for ritual uses and nothing in history records their making grain mashes. Gin is a grain mash alcohol flavored with juniper berries. It is a European drink.
My DGM, the quilter, was half Creek Indian and swore by the healing power of raisins-just plain. As a child, I had all sorts of things from scrapes to boils on the knees and elbows. My DGM would stock up on the raisins and miraculously the ailment disappeared. Now my DGF was English and he believed that when you got a cold, you needed a nip or capful in your hot coffee... if you get my drift. My mother was always telling them not to be treating me with those "medicines" as she believed in the training she got as a nurse. I still advise my kids to eat raisins, even though they are adults, when they get sick. It may not help with your arthritis, but it will add fiber into your diet.