Pickle Juice Relieves Muscle Cramps

Have you ever stayed up half of the night after a hard day’s work because of those awful leg cramps? Maybe you had a bout with Mr. Charlie Horse in the middle of the night? Painful isn’t it? Ouch!

So many suggest that we eat the potassium-cure-all – which is bananas of course. And by all means bananas are very good for you. Don’t stop eating them. They are good for many reasons.

But for leg cramps, what on earth would help?

Reflex inhibition of electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans –
Kevin C. Miller (Ph.D. Brigham Young University) Area of Expertise: Causes, treatments, and prevention strategies for exercise-associated muscle cramps.

A recent publication reveals some very interesting research. Intriguing.

INTRODUCTION

Anecdotal evidence suggests that ingesting small volumes of pickle juice relieves muscle cramps within 35 s of ingestion.

CONCLUSIONS

Pickle juice, and not deionized water, inhibits electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans. This effect could not be explained by rapid restoration of body fluids or electrolytes. We suspect that the rapid inhibition of the electrically induced cramps reflects a neurally mediated reflex that originates in the oropharyngeal region and acts to inhibit the firing of alpha motor neurons of the cramping muscle.

SUMMARY – DRINK PICKLE JUICE
There you have it. Good old pickle juice will relieve muscle cramps within seconds! It has been suggested that a diet of potatoes at least once a week is useful. While others recommend ingesting about a teaspoon of mustard.