Muscle Cramps
Natural Remedies

Muscle Cramp Remedies

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Roger B. (Salisbury, NC) on 03/16/2019
★★★★★

My father had really bad leg cramps. These cramps looked like baseballs on his thigh and calves. He would go down on his knees in pure agony. My grandmaw always gave him about 1/4 cup of ACV which he drank immediately. Within 20-30 seconds the cramps dissapated.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Gloria (Pgh, Pa.) on 11/04/2016
★★★★★

God bless you all. I jumped up 3am with pain in right foot, and left calf. Finally in between tears I found this forum. The cider w/mother worked miracles like it does for so many other things its worth its weight in gold.


Acupressure
Posted by Alfred (Bangkok, Thailand) on 04/05/2010
★★★★★

Cramps in your legs

Crazy time to get cramps.. Usually when I am sleeping..Middle of night or just before dauwn,, thats when I stretch.. Most of the time if i stand up, right away.. they stop. BUT IF I do not. O sh_ _..The Best thing that works is to pinch your upper lip with two fingers, and hold..., Hold for a while even if the lip hurts, You can bite your upper lip that will work also..

I am told another remedy, but never tried it.. Pinch the Opening between your Big toe and the one next to it.. Pinch where the toes go into the foot. Pinch hard and hold.

Health #1,
Alfred

Magnesium
Posted by Rosiland (Mexico) on 11/27/2022
★★★★★

I have had leg cramps for years and I tried all sorts of things. I did magnesium and potassium plus some product from Standard Process. None of them worked, my cramps were so severe they would wake me up at night crying from the intensity! Then I read that MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE is the magnesium to take (magnesium citrate does nothing for leg cramps, I know I tried it). I ordered it from Luma Nutrition since I respect the quality of their products. The next time I had a leg cramp it was intense for a second or two and then it disappeared completely on its own without me having to get up and walk around. It happened one other time but since then I have been sleeping peacefully with no cramps or even a hint of cramps.

Bill Thompson's Protocol
Posted by June S. (Suffolk, UK) on 02/02/2024
★★★★★

Tried your Magnesium and Chloride protocol and it has worked first time. I have been in so much discomfort for months, now I am pain free from leg cramps. Bless you.


Coconut Water
Posted by Detail Guy (Portland, Oregon) on 07/31/2020
★★★★★

Due to cancer treatment, I've had excruciating muscle cramps... the kind that are rock hard and hurt for several days after the cramping goes down. Magnesium helps, but oncologist explained that magnesium is "contra-indicated" for cancer. She suggested Coconut water... it has a lot of potassium. This really helped a lot. I still get occasional mild cramps... no big deal. Hope this helps.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 09/06/2025
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar for Leg Cramps.

Those plagued with nighttime leg cramps can find relief by supplementing meals with a glass of water, fortified with apple cider vinegar.

Prevent leg cramps by combining 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon *calcium lactate in 1/2 glass of water. This is taken once a day.

*Calcium lactate is a mineral that is used to treat or prevent low blood calcium levels (hypocalcemia) in people who do not get enough calcium from food. Calcium lactate is also used in the treatment of conditions such as osteoporosis, disorders of the parathyroid gland, or certain muscle problems.

From the Book: The Vinegar Book by Emily Thacker 2005


Acupressure
Posted by Winnie (Nairobi, Kenya) on 04/18/2019
★★★★★

Dear Robert, Yesterday I had severe cramping on my right leg and I came here looking for a solution. Yours worked instantly! Thank you so much.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Richard (Canada) on 03/05/2018
★★★★★

I just started taking apple cider vinegar. I had muscle cramps before that and now I don't. It started right away.


Magnesium
Posted by Janet (In) on 09/27/2017

Grace. First a mag tablet caught my eye. You can reduce it in water. It will become more bio available to the body. If it takes longer than 5 to 8 minutes to break up, chances are it is noy breaking up in your gut. Also you can take your mag oil as supplement. Magnesium chloride, 5 to 6 drops in water provides approx 250mg of mag. 2x a day.

My husband has had some cramps. He depletes all his minerals working 7 days 12 hours in the heat.

These are often impossible to determine why. I have a list of steps I take from this happening.

Serrapeptase, high potency. As a precaution against any blockages.1 capsule on empty stomach in am.

Baking soda. 1 whole lime, 6 to 8 tsp, squeezed in a glass or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Let fizz. Add 1/2 glass of water and drink. 2x a day 1/2 hour after meals 5 days out of 7.

Am. 1/4 tsp of potassium bicarbonate powder added to 1/2 glass of water in am.

Iodine foot painting. 5% lugols iodine painted on foot in 1 inch square on foot before bed. This enriches the iodine in lower body as it often gets little being used up in the rest of the body is a great companion to mag oil.

1/4 tsp of sea salt in water. This provides all the trace minerals in correct amounts to enhance mineral status.

Progesterone cream. Applied 2x a week to help balance hormones. Apply to trunk 1/2 tsp. This was surprising but it worked.

Liquid chlorophyll 1/2 tsp in a liter of water. Add 20 drops liquid phosphorus. Drink 1 oz as needed. This is also a great pain tonic.

20 mule team borax. 1/8 tsp in a liter of water. Drink through the day in beverages. 4 days out of seven. Balance hormones. Replaces fluoride with boron in body.

My daughter applies potassium bicarbonate directly to her leg to stop cramping. She reduces it in water and swipes it on.

I suspect you need a good vitamin d levels test. You may find out you are low. It is foundational to health. Good levels allow for absorption and utilization of all your efforts. My Mom had restless legs that got cramps and painful. Taking d3 and its companions made all the difference. There is a home test too. I have not tried myself. Reading Dr. Michael Holicks book or watching his you tube information and following his dosage chart (google it) will offer great insight into this.

These are all effective on their own. But cramping and heath status can be many things. We have found it takes a day to discover if you are on the right track. 3 days to be well on the way to stopping and real healing.

Eliminations

Msg

Table salt..use sea salt only

Plastic

Aluminum

Foods containing...gmos...commercially grown insecticide sprayed food. Glyphosates..gluten

Soy

Fluoride

Aspartame

Bath soak or 1/2 the ingredients for foot soak.

2 cups epsom

1 cup borax

1 cup hydrogen peroxide...to oxygenate the body

1 cap fish tank dechlorinator...to protect heart from chlorine steam. 20 minutes.

Janet


Pickle Juice
Posted by Gingerkat (Mcdonough, Ga) on 06/05/2017
★★★★★

Pickle juice is miraculous for leg, foot, or hand cramps

Pickle juice works within seconds whenever I have muscle cramps in my legs, feet, or hands. I couldn't believe it when one of my friends recommended it but it has never failed to work.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Harriet (Federal Way, Wa) on 10/15/2009
★★★★★

I am 55 and battle fibromyalgia. One of the problems is muscle cramps, mostly in legs and feet, that approximate the hard, long cramps common in the 9th month of pregnancy. I can cramp up at any time depending upon the position I get myself into, but it is common for me to get bad leg cramps maybe every 2-3 months. Those keep me up at night loading on Vit C, Magnesium and Potassium, slapping hot towels on one leg then the other as I hop around crying in pain.

Last week it happened again, but because ACV was on my countertop (due to this site) I swilled down 2 TBSP straight (when you are in that kind of pain you don't care what it tastes like) then chased with maybe 6 oz water. WITHIN 2 MINUTES THE CRAMP WAS GONE AND DID NOT RETURN! This is amazing. On nights when this happens I generally attempt to sleep on the couch so I don't wake my husband because IF I get any sleep at all it is in between spasms that wake me up violently.

I am grateful for this site. Thank you!


Epsom Salt
Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 06/19/2021

Hello GF of PA,

I have personal experience with this one and I know how painful it can be! Really BAD.

It would be best if, in the initial instance, you perused the "Muscle Cramps/Cramping" section on this Site for a comprehensive review of the problem: sort of a "Cramps 101" for lifestyle changes etc.

I think a half cup of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate/Sulfate), fully dissolved in a foot bath/bowl of water, as hot as you can (comfortably) stand it, would be good to do. Too hot and it will damage you of course! Keep your feet in for no longer than fifteen to twenty minutes (by which time the water will be cooler anyway). There is a theory that a longer soak is counter-productive.

A foot reflexologist might tell you that trans-dermal foot soaking is the way to go, especially for Magnesium which can be difficult for the body to absorb actually.

I might prefer to do this twice a day to get a quicker response.

What I would do though, is to take 1 to 5 ml (or half a tsp) of Magnesium Chloride liquid in a glass of water twice a day, always replace the cap and store below 25 degrees centigrade. (Maybe difficult for you at the moment?! ). That works a treat for me. In a genuine emergency, I have been known to down a glass of salt water on at least a couple of occasions.

If one "over doses" with Mag. you might get loose stools but that is just the body's way of restoring the balance. No harm done. Nobody die.

I hope this is helpful, it should be, especially if you carefully follow the advice on Earth Clinic ... Editors Choice section etc. Seems strange that there is not much more feedback from our learned Posters on this affliction.

This condition IS fixable!!

Cheers from Michael,

Down Under


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Stevebb1 (Stilwell, Usa) on 08/06/2012

You won't see common sense cures made known by doctors because they go by what the pharmacies tell them and they will never support a cure that can't be patented so they can make more money.


Stretches
Posted by Gary (Kitchener On) on 12/24/2023

Hi Mama to Many,

I read that if you rub Vicks Vapor Rub _ for your chest cold_ on the area where you get the cramp at bedtime you do not get a cramp.. I tried it for my cramps and after a week, I stopped and the cramps never came back.

God Bless

Gary


Acupressure
Posted by Mary (Arcadia, California) on 07/19/2016

Dear Donna, I use 1 tsp of yellow mustard to get rid of cramps anywhere on the body. It works like a charm I just put it in my mouth drink a little water and let it go down. You don't even feel the pain from the cramp on your muscle afterwards. Peace, Mary


Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 10/05/2013

Hello Ms Peggy from Sacramento;

My understanding of how the H202 is working to relieve leg's muscle spasms is simple: spasming may be lack of oxygen. Others deficiencies... Such as lack of magnesium can also cause spasms. But you got it right and found peroxide worked.

But go one step further. The spasms and the fact that extra oxygen helped is a possible warning for you. You might have oxygen deficiency in your system. I take Natural (not synthetic) vitamin E to help deliver oxygen throughout the body... Especially muscles. Remember the heart is a muscle.

So the point is this: If you were having muscle cramping for years and if the hydrogen peroxide helped, then you might be oxygen depleted and that is dangerous most importantly for the heart.

Vitamin E (which is refined out of virtually all our grains) is essential to oxygenate muscles. I've taken 800 iu daily for about 40 years. E does 20 different things in the system. By taking E, I don't have to take an aspirin to thin my blood, for instance. By taking E I don't worry about cholesterol levels, because nothing is sticking to arteries, the E coating the veins and arteries. By taking E I know there will be no sudden heart craved spasm of my heart... instant death.

Remember the heart is constantly working and of all the muscles the one you cannot afford to have spasm!

Natural E is called "d-alpha tocopherol" and you get it in health food stores ... not in drug stores which sell the synthetic.

Start with 200 iu daily and over a few months increase to 400 and then go to 800. E will dissolve existing plaque formation so the slow start up of E is better so there is not a sudden release of a clump of plaque.

Glad you found a solution,

Dave


Acupressure
Posted by Gottasmyl (Dundee, Scotland Uk) on 10/09/2011
★★★★★

Acupressure by pressing the bone between your nostrils with your index fingers works to get rid of my leg cramps. I am 27 years old and had never suffered from this problem until about 2 weeks ago when I started a course of antibiotics to get rid of helicobacter pylori. Tried everything I could think of but nothing worked. Someone suggested I press the bone situated between the nostrils with my forefinger and it instantly went away. It's amazing!!!


Pickle Juice
Posted by Dee (West Palm Beach, FL) on 10/21/2006
★★★★★

Just drank 4 tblsp of Claussen pickle juice 3 mins. ago...SEVERE ANKLE PAIN (right side), pain is abating as I write this!!!! Thank you, thank you thank you. Happened to have Claussen (dill) pickles on hand as daughter likes them for sandwhiches. I have had this severe cramp for five hours and went on your site for relief.


Buffered Salt
Posted by Sue (Delray Beach, Fl) on 04/03/2011
★★★★★

My husband was told that when he gets the cramp, to just take a little salt - I put some sea salt in a dish next to the bed - when he gets a cramp, he takes a piece of salt, and is still amazed that the cramp disappears immediately. And he doesn't have to take anything daily because it works!


Eliminate All Fructose
Posted by RB (Somewhere in Europe) on 12/27/2023 97 posts
★★★★★

Re: Muscle Cramps -- Solution: Eliminate All Fructose

After eating a ton of fruits, I started having muscle cramps that were so intense that I could not sleep, and could not walk. But all of my muscle cramps disappeared 4 or 5 days after I cut my fructose intake to zero. FYI, there is fructose in all fruits, fruit juices, honey, tomatoes, ketchup and soft drinks.


B6
Posted by Heidi (Cumming, GA) on 02/23/2021
★★★★★

I have a bottle of Vitamin B6 pills next to my bed. When I get a cramp I take one vitamin B6 and as soon I swallow it, the muscle relaxes and the pain is gone.
I have usually cramps in feet and legs. Hope it helps other people as well.

Culinary Argan Oil
Posted by Tatiana (Boston, Ma) on 06/29/2020
★★★★★

Culinary Argan Oil cured my muscle cramps and the muscle crams of 2 other people in my family.

I was getting terrible muscle cramps - sometimes as bad as 10X a day - I was afraid to go anywhere because I didn't know when I would unexpectedly get them and they were extremely painful and scary - I didn't know what was causing them & still don't.

I started taking 2 teaspoons a day of culinary Argan oil (one teaspoon at lunch, one at dinner), and within a few weeks, I realized the cramps were occurring less & less - it's been about 2 months since I started taking the Argan oil, and the cramps that I experienced for about 6 months are finally gone! I can't believe it and wanted to share on this site, which has helped me to find natural solutions for other health issues. Two family members who also started taking the Argan oil also noticed their cramps were went away - they did not get them as bad as I did, and I think that's why their results were more immediate. I highly recommend this amazing oil that not many people know about!!

There are two forms of it - the topical Argan oil and the lesser known culinary Argan oil. You can't ingest the topical kind - only the culinary kind. Argan oil is from Morocco and Israel.

Nettle Root Tea
Posted by Bioh4ck (England) on 06/16/2020
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Having bad leg cramps most of my life, I finally found the solution that works by mistake while drinking nettle ROOT tea for something else.

I started drinking nettle root tea for my low blood iron levels, only to discover it cured my night leg cramps or charlie horse cramps as some call it. I collect the nettle roots from a near by field, wash them, dry in the sun for a few days and then grind them up which is the tough part of the process. I try to find the older nettle roots in big patches because they grow their roots over the ground and not in the ground, so no digging, I collect a big bag full which will last me the year or so. Just make sure to wear gloves and long sleeves so not to get stung when ripping the roots out.

If I go on a long walk, or a hard days work or take a hot bath or sunbath for to long due to the sweating out of minerals, I would get bad cramps in the evening mainly when in bed, so I make sure I drink a cup of nettle root tea. Drop a couple of teaspoons of dried nettle root in a saucepan and boil for 5 to 10 mins. Strain to a mug and drink. Taste is good too.

Works every time for cramps.


Acupressure
Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 05/28/2022

Nika from Holland,

Might I suggest a glass of water with Magnesium Chloride liquid (a very few drops ) might help with the muscle cramps a lot. I can speak from personal experience with this recommendation. Works for me every time and quickly too. Buy a reputable brand - ask around!

Apart from the muscle cramps, Magnesium helps with so many other tasks in the body and most people are short of it these days. Not very expensive to buy either.

The taste is not too bad if you only put a few drops in a medium-sized glass of water. otherwise it might be a bit off-putting!

You have my permission to claim the credit if it works!

Cheers from Down Under


Acupressure
Posted by Carlos (Texas) on 06/11/2018
★★★★★

Rub your stomach in a circular motion (clockwise) with a little pressure for a couple of minutes to help stop the leg cramps...


Magnesium
Posted by Teena (Melbourne Australia) on 09/26/2017 232 posts

Hi Grace I would still suspect a mineral requirement not being met. Add some Trace minerals to your daily water or more easily add 1/4 tsp sea salt (with it's 84+ essential minerals) to your daily water. And make sure you are drinking enough water for your body weight, so many of us are not. Also see watercure. Best to you


Acupressure
Posted by Donna (Ontario) on 07/18/2016
★★★★★

For leg cramps - acupressure on the opposite leg, at the same spot as cramp is in affected leg. Always works for me. eg. I will have a cramp in the right calf but no pain in that spot on the unaffected (left) side; but when I find the exact spot, deep, on the left side, it will be very painful to rub there. Left sided pain subsides when rubbed in a minute or two and then the cramp in the right leg subsides shortly thereafter.


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