Can soaking feet in mugwort leaf water treat gout?

Generally speaking, soaking feet in wormwood (mugwort) water can assist in the treatment of gout to some extent, but it cannot cure gout completely nor replace professional medical treatment. It is recommended to seek timely medical advice, identify the cause, and undergo symptomatic treatment under a doctor's guidance. Detailed analysis is as follows:

Soaking feet with wormwood utilizes the warmth of hot water and the medicinal properties of wormwood to promote blood circulation and accelerate the elimination of metabolic waste in the body, helping to relieve joint pain and swelling. Wormwood itself has the effect of warming the meridians to dispel cold and promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, thus providing some relief for joint pain caused by cold-dampness, including pain during acute gout attacks.

Although wormwood foot soaking has some auxiliary therapeutic effects on gout, it cannot cure gout completely. Gout is a complex metabolic disease associated with excessively high levels of uric acid in the body. Medications such as allopurinol tablets, Qingpeng ointment, and hydrocortisone tablets can be used as directed by a physician.

Before using wormwood for foot soaking, a skin allergy test should be performed first to ensure there is no allergic reaction to wormwood. The water temperature during foot soaking should be appropriate, generally around 40–50°C, avoiding excessively high or low temperatures that might trigger a gout attack.