I'm very skeptical about such remedies, too, but keep in mind that almost all pharmaceuticals came from herbal remedies in some shape or form. That said, pharma drugs are going to be more pure of form and easier to standardize, so I'd recommend them over their herbal counterparts, any day.
I have been a sufferer since about your age, and I'm only 31 now, so the young are also at risk. The last time I felt an attack coming on, I stirred a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of warm water, and drank it down. It really did seem to make a difference, but it could have been wishful thinking.
It's not terrible to get down, but I wouldn't want it for a sippin' drink.
From what I've read, it's best to take some right before bed, and some right after waking. This 'alkalizes the urine' and helps to reduce the overall acid content of your body, which can neutralize some of the uric acid and keep it from crystalizing out. This is my layman's understanding of it, anyway.
Another common remedy that I like is lemon water. Which is just what it sounds. Juice of one lemon squeezed into however much water you want, to make it palatable, or at least drinkable. This sounds paradoxical because lemons are acidic, but it does seem to work. The mechanism I've heard is that the acid in your gut forces your body to release more bicarbonate ions into your blood to counteract, and these ions interact with the uric acid in the blood before getting to the kidneys to do the job they were released for. This has become my new morning drink, instead of coffee, which can trigger gout attacks.
These are not miracle cures, but they can prevent attacks if made part of your routine, and shorten the length of an attack if they are taken after the onset.
If you are prone to high blood pressure, i would probably only do the baking soda to shorten an attack, as there is a lot of sodium in it, and can cause other effects you don't want, but the lemon water is harmless, tasty, and if it even helps a little, it's worth a glass of something sour in the mornings.
