Cures for leg cramps

Does anyone have any natural herbal remedies for leg cramps?

Eating bananas?

I've heard calcium helps.

Natural herbal sources of calcium include amaranth (pigweed), oatstraw (combine with a little horsetail for better results), alfalfa, red raspberry leaf, nettles, lambs quarters, broadbeans, watercress, licorice, marjoram, savory, red clover shoots, thyme, chinese cabbage, basil, celery seed, chaya, dandelion, purslane, slippery elm bark, cranberries, dong quai, echinacea, marshmallow, pau d'arco, white willow,  shepherd's purse, plantain, chickweed, comfrey, garlic, rose hips, peppermint, garlic, ginger, oak bark, oregon grape root, black cohosh, and mullein. 

Your best bet for receiving significant quantities is probably the herbs and foods within the first half of the list.  Information taken from "The Green Pharmacy" by James Duke, "herbs to the Rescue: Herbal First Aid" by Kurt King, and "20,000 Secrets of Tea" by Victoria Zak.

I think magnesium is actually better, and/or a necessary co-factor for the calcium to work. I'm sorry that I don't know which herbs are good sources of magnesium. Maybe John could refer to his "Green Pharmacy" and other books again?

Sure thing!  Purslane is the best, James Duke says it's nearly 2% magnesium on a dry weight basis, eat it as a green.  Also alfalfa, watercress, garlic, red clover, peppermint, comfrey, cayenne pepper, catnip, ginger, pennyroyal, nettles, chickweed, burdock, horsetail, sage, Dong Quai, passion flower, red raspberry leaf, slippery elm bark, white willow bark, mullein, dandelion, licorice, coriander, black cohosh, as well as whole grains, oats, green beans, spinach, lettuce, poppy seeds, celery, soybeans, greens in general, and nuts.

we have used Dolomite for decades.  It used to be cheap and abundant, but now I have trouble finding it.  It also works great on children's growing pains and on menstrual cramps,  keeps PMS at bay, from my experience.  I find it also helps restless leg syndrome. 

Look at all the cures created by those who race horses .. very poor circulation in a horse leg .. but such wonderful creatures .. Five Years a Dragoon by Lowe .. he put over 3,000 miles on one horse in one year .. never scalded the back and kept the legs rubbed down each night. Many tents and blankets were put over horses by the cavalry on stormy, snowy nights in extreme cold .. no horse .. lots of Indians in your face .. the men went without .. from the Mountain Man to Custer .. in the old West.

magnesium is what relaxes muscles, and it works with calcium to balance that out. You can put crushed red hot pepper on your muscles or a hot pepper cream of sorts, that works wonders for blood circulation and healing.

Don't use chairs, or at least not so much. It's sounds funny, but our civilization has so many inventions that are pure poisons for our bodies. If you want i can tell you more about the holy chair.

Walk barefoot when possible, get connected to the earth and free your bones, nerves and lots more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RGN5ikfOho

Dent De Lion wrote:Walk barefoot when possible...

When we walk barefoot outside we tend to land the feet flatter and in a more natural way. This is better for all of the joints all the way up to the neck (walking with good posture is helpful for lower back problems). You should find that walking barefoot regularly makes you walk with better posture. It is not comfortable to stomp around on your heels all day when barefoot, like most people do when they wear shoes so you will gradually figure out that you need to land the feet flatter. Try to move around fairly quickly but also quietly while barefoot and you will notice you need to hold your midsection in more, chest higher and that your shoulders will be held back and relaxed instead of slumped forward. 

Ok, this isn't an herbal cure and not very elegant, but....

I read recently that placing a bar of soap under the bed sheets near the feet will help with cramps.  Doesn't matter what type. 

Or, you can try wonderful apple cider vinegar.  A couple of teaspoons or tablespoons with water or juice before you go to bed.

Good luck!
Jen

we eat a handful of 'raw' almonds a day and find that that helps us alot.

I agree with Jocelyn- it may be a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium works as a lock & key type system with calcium, and most Americans are deficient. It's a key component in muscle tissues. Green leafies are good sources, but for faster results you can take a supplement. One note on supplements- magnesium is a muscle relaxer. Including intestinal muscles!!! You'll know you're no longer deficient after you take some then have a very loose stool. I take mine with apple cider drink mix- an increased acidity helps absorption. I love Peter Gilham's Calm; iHerb.com has the best price. Been using it for at least a decade. Take your Omegas, too, so your cell walls will work right, and nooooo trans fats.
Good luck!

Leg cramps are usually a magnesium deficiency (Naturopathic medicine), but can also be caused from poor circulation, extremities being too cold, or having a blood clot.  You may also have lactic acid build up from overuse of a muscle not used to the hard exercise.  Magnesium and potassium need to be in a proper balance, also magnesium and calcium.  Best to take something with all the electrolytes in it, or maybe a little extra magnesium at night, as it can also help you sleep. 

There are certain herbs which are good for cramping.  Catnip is one.  Cramp bark is another.

Revise the diet a bit as stated above, but also buy yourself a foam roller, or borrow one, and roll your tightened muscles out slowly (like kneading dough). Any personal trainer will tell ya that.. and yes it definitely works.. I have aches/tight muscles from running sometime and it works everytime.

magnesium chloride .... a natural salt, and bath your feet in a solution of the mag salt and water for 30min just before retiring for the night.

Cheers

Stinging nettle infusion cured my back cramps in a day.

permapoet wrote:
Stinging nettle infusion cured my back cramps in a day.

Did you soak towels in the infusion and apply that to your back? Hot or cold?

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:
Did you soak towels in the infusion and apply that to your back? Hot or cold?

Nope, I just made the infusion and drank it over the course of the day. Make it every night for about a week, keep it in the fridge after it is ready and drink a cup or two at a time. You can drink it for the rest of your life if you want.

Plankl wrote:
Don't use chairs, or at least not so much. ". . . " If you want i can tell you more about the holy chair.

holy chair? puts you on your knees?

If it is Restless Legs Syndrome you are referring to and not regular cramps, I can give you a list of a dozen or so things that help me including a couple that are very effective. No cure yet though.

Muscle pains, spasms, cramps, twitches, etc? You could be low in magnesium.
Foods rich in magnesium. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

If you have pains in your legs after exertion it could be atheriosclerosis. Please see a physician to verify the diagnosis.

I can tell you something that takes it away when it is happening. This has worked for me and others 100% of the time. Instead of grabbing your leg and trying to rub out the cramp or flex your foot to work it out...just bite down firmly on your bottom lip. Within seconds you will feel it start to ease off. It works! No, it doesn't distract you from the pain, it actually releases that cramp. Accupressure point? I don't know, but someone told me about it years ago and it works each and every time I try it.

I can also tell you a simple step to stop cold sores that has worked every time also. I love these weird and improbable things that work for common ailments or symptoms.

http://www.mgwater.com/listc.shtml#cramps

I do 3 foot soaks a week. There are 2000+ pores in our feet and they're great at helping minerals in...

3 soaks a week was found to bring blood serum levels of Mg+2 to adequate levels...

Many people are deficient of this incredibly important mineral and suffer courtesy that fact...

Make sure you're getting Ca too, as they work hand - in - hand.

I remember my mom used to wipe my legs a menthol-based liniment and sometimes, coconut oil with the ginger solution would do.

Quit taking vitamin D3.

Legs cramps for me is a sign of dehydration. Several large glasses of water solves the problem.

It depends on the cause. F.Y.I. good info here

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1578136/

THE VERY BEST AND THE ONE THAT WILL RELIEVE THE SYMPTOMS WITHIN MINUTES IS A HOMEOPATHIC TISSUE SALT "MAGNESIUM PHOSPHORICUM", which is available in most health food stores or by Internet from Boericke and Tafel. As a certified Herbalist I have reccomended this remdy for over 40 years and it very rarely fails.

Cold thermogenic therapy. Take a big old tub outside feel it with water. Cool or heat it to around 50 degrees fahrenheit. Go neck deep for around 40 mins, or until you stop shivering. Always use a spotter. MAKE sure some is checking on you, cause you could fall a asleep and really freeze to DEATH. Works really good after a long hard day of hard work. The cold pushes all the heat out of your joints, and muscles. It also resets how your body handles sugar, the Native Americans used CT as a treatment for diabetes.

Jay Green wrote:I can tell you something that takes it away when it is happening. This has worked for me and others 100% of the time. Instead of grabbing your leg and trying to rub out the cramp or flex your foot to work it out...just bite down firmly on your bottom lip. Within seconds you will feel it start to ease off. It works! No, it doesn't distract you from the pain, it actually releases that cramp. Accupressure point? I don't know, but someone told me about it years ago and it works each and every time I try it.

I can also tell you a simple step to stop cold sores that has worked every time also. I love these weird and improbable things that work for common ailments or symptoms.

As someone who has suffered from this all my life, I can say I have tried everything going. It's a rare night when I can sleep all night without having to jump out of bed and start the cramp dance. Well I had it again last night and I remembered Jay's post about biting your bottom lip, so I thought what the heck I might as well try it. No sooner had I bit down, the cramp just disappeared. I couldn't believe it! I woke up this morning and told the wife. As I was telling her, I got a cramp in my foot and I bit down. It disappeared. Jay Green you are a hero! I've tried all the concoctions, I ate bananas by the bucketful, I've drunk water till it was coming out of my ears. Nothing worked. Now I know that if I get the cramp, all I have to do is bite, and I don't have to do the dance anymore.