Remedy for recurring joint pains,” read the headline of a Facebook post in November 2020.
The writer claimed that a mixture of bay leaves and cloves is a solution to joint pain and recommended steeping the spices in hot water to be drunk as tea twice daily.
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Bay leaves come from the sweet bay tree which grows in warm climates. The plant is grown for ornamental use and as a spice, while the clove tree is a tropical tree of the Myrtaceae family. Its small reddish-brown flower buds known as cloves are used as a spice.
But can this combination be used to treat joint pain?
Not scientifically proven
Discomfort, aches, and soreness in the body’s joints have multiple causes, but one of the most common is arthritis.
Joint pain can usually not be eliminated, but it can be managed using topical pain relievers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation.
“In medical practice, we prefer the use of scientifically tested and proven remedies,” Basden Onwubere, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), told Africa Check.
“Naturally obtained substances may be harmless, but the medical effects need to be subjected to scientific routines,” Onwubere added.
Ikpeme Ikpeme, a Professor of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery at the University of Calabar, also told Africa Check that he had come across no research related to the claim about bay leaves and cloves, and added that it should be disregarded.
He said, “Visit a doctor if you have a health challenge.”
A collaboration between Daily Trust and Africa Check to fight health misinformation.
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