Ask anyone who has ever experienced muscle cramps and they will tell you that they are no walk in the park. Not only are they painful, they can be downright debilitating.
One natural remedy for cramps that many people are now claiming works very well is pickle juice. There is even some advice from researchers that it could help to work with your muscles, and many researchers feel that the vinegar content is the key.
Many people who suffer from cramps use pickle juice and they claim that it really works. Athletes use it, as do many physicians who feel that it could be a natural remedy for such an issue.
On the other hand, skeptics claim that it doesn’t work because there’s no solid scientific evidence behind it. That being said, when tested against a placebo, it does work much better.
Since pickle juice is used so frequently in the sports world, there have been some research studies into its effect. Not many studies look into why it works or say why it doesn’t work, but it seems as if the outcome is relatively positive.
One possible explanation for why pickle juice could help with leg cramps is because of the electrolytes that are included. There was a study in 2014 that debunked it, but people still continue to use it.
This study checked the blood plasma levels of nine healthy men to see if there was an increase in electrolytes after they drank pickle juice following exercise. They found that the electrolytes remained the same. He also said that regardless of what the participants drank, the level stayed the same.
The researchers also did a test on pickle juice for cramps in 2010 and found that it did work to shorten the duration of cramps. It released the cramps and about 1.5 minutes, which was 45% faster than doing nothing.
If you would like to try using pickle juice for cramps, the best way to do it is to drink about 2 or 3 fluid ounces. Measure out the pickle juice and drink it quickly, perhaps even taking a shot of pickle juice in a shot glass.
You can use store-bought cucumber pickle juice or juice from fermented homemade pickles. There are also some products available that are straight pickle juice for those who want to use it regularly.
Just make sure that you don’t dilute the pickle juice because you would be diluting the beneficial product, whatever that happens to be.
Pickle juice is a very popular way to deal with muscle cramps and there aren’t any other food remedies that claim to rival it.
That being said, you may be able to get the same benefit from eating pickles but you are not going to get the same amount of vinegar, which could limit its effect.
Trying other types of fermented products, such as sauerkraut or kimchi juice or apple cider vinegar may also provide some benefit. You might just have to test to see if it works for you.
Before you try this remedy, you should know that pickle juice could have a dehydration effect. It can curb your thirst as well, so you won’t drink as much water naturally.
That being said, the 2010 and 2014 studies do say that pickle juice does not dehydrate you or curb your thirst. They even say that it will rehydrate you as much as water, so you have to take this advice with a grain of salt.
In the end, you can do a test for yourself. Pickle juice does not have any side effects that go along with it, although you should ease into it if you’re going to use it for your health.
