Jack Sparrow’s Life Advice: The 10 Health Benefits of Rum

4 min readFeb 27, 2021

Rum, like most alcoholic drinks, is a misunderstood and unsung hero. Sure, alcoholism is a rising problem and it had led to many deaths, broken families, and illnesses. But anything in excess is bad. Taken in moderation, alcohol can be helpful and rum is its very tasty kind. Rum is made from sugar cane juice or its by-product called molasses. When taken in moderation, you not only experience the beverage in a much better fashion than when taken in excess, but you also benefit from some health benefits. Below are a few of the health benefits:

1. Healthy Heart

Rum is beneficial for your heart, and drinking it frequently in moderation can give you a healthy and strong heart. Rum has shown to be a great cure for peripheral heart disease and avoid the formation of artery blockage in the body. According to several studies and researches, it has been proved that the consumption of alcohol also helps to decrease the level of cholesterol in the body.

2. Common Cold

There is nothing seasonal about the common cold, it can quite happen in any weather. While most of us are struggling with the common cold as flu, having a small portion of rum can give relief to your throat. You need to drink one or two spoons of rum every day and this will help to treat the common cold. Due to anti-bacterial property, rum helps to heal cold quickly.

3. Sore Muscles

People who are continually dealing with muscle pain should certainly depend on rum to treat their muscle pain completely. A periodic consumption of Old Monk helps to increase the bone mineral in the body which further helps in giving you relief from muscle pain easily.

4. Keep Scurvy Away

Rum is the only drink that helps to keep scurvy at home as compared to some more alcoholic beverage. Due to its medicinal properties, Old Monk was served to British soldiers so that they are protected against scurvy. Other than British soldiers, those with low immunity are also suggested they take a peg or two of the drink.

5. Effective Antiseptic

In a survival situation, rum can be used as an antiseptic. You can use it to clean wounds and help prevent bacteria from growing. It can also help reduce feelings of pain when applied topically (as well as ingested).

6. Can Improve Your Libido

Moderate drinking of rum has been confirmed to protect against erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction is reduced by 25–30% to those taking rum but in a moderate manner. However, one is not recommended to start drinking as the research is still ongoing.

7. Offers Longevity & Nutritional Benefits

In every 100 grams of rum consumed, you get 230 calories. This proves that it comprises no carbohydrates or fats. Moderated consumption of rum is proven to increase a person’s average lifespan by 3–5 years. This is achievable as rum consumption leads to the reduction of anxiety and decreases the risks of one getting Dementia or Alzheimer, hence leading to an increment in the average lifespan of a person.

8. Reduces The Risk of Gallstones

Drinking two units of rum will effectively decrease the risk of gallstones by a third. The study proved that those who consumed rum with a lot of moderation were certain to enjoy healthier than those who drank it with no moderation.

9. Rum For De-Stressing

Knocking back a cocktail is one of the most time-honored ways to chill after a stressful day of work. Alcohol, including rum, acts as a depressant that reduces the central nervous system. In other words, it’s a sedative.

10. Rum For Immunity

In addition to its warming, calming qualities, rum is rich in antimicrobial properties that can help knock out the common cold. The British Army was actually known to give its sailors rum for preventing scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency); it was the lime in the rum that did the trick, but we still say bottoms up to a rum toddy for a nightcap.