3 Delicious Ways to Make Homemade Pickle Juice for Leg Cramps

30 November 2024, written by Barbara Pleasant

Since I was a kid, I have occasionally awakened in the night with terrible cramps in one of my calves. My mother called them growing pains, while Dad would say I had a charley horse, the American nickname for this common problem. Over half of adults suffer from occasional leg cramps at night.

My nighttime leg cramps have come and gone over the years, but they became more bothersome as I got older. No more! As soon as I wake up to the feeling of a tightening muscle, I hobble to the refrigerator and swallow a slug of homemade pickle juice. Then another. The first gulp is for the therapeutic effect, second is for good measure and because it tastes good.

By the time I close the refrigerator door, the cramp is gone.

Pickles — The juice from all vinegar-based pickles can be used for muscle cramps

How Pickle Juice Works

The pickle juice cure has been talked about for more than a decade, and research has validated that it works for many people. Several studies have shown that it’s not the electrolytes or hydration that give pickle juice its punch, but the ascetic acid in the vinegar. Vinegar-based pickling brines trigger nerves in the back of the throat that magically turn off the cramp.

The response is neurological, and you could probably get a similar reaction by sipping straight vinegar, assuming it didn’t make you choke. Mustard can work the same way, but the idea of downing mustard in the wee hours sounds gross. It’s a better idea to make homemade pickle juices that taste so good that you want to drink them. Best of all, you can eliminate additives and radically reduce salt by making your own fresh pickle juice.

What kinds of pickles work best? One study looked at juice from dill slices and spears, sweet gherkins, and medium-sweet bread-and-butter pickles. They all provided enough acetic acid (vinegar) to elicit a response.

As a vegetable gardener I make many different pickles, so I wondered if I could use the brine from pickled vegetables other than cucumbers. Knowing that vinegar hitting the back of the throat is the goal, shouldn’t pickle juice made from other vegetables work, too? Indeed it does! In the last few months I have taken midnight doses of pickle juice from refrigerator pickles made from peppers, cucumbers, apples, carrots and even celery. Regardless of what vegetable you pickle, brine that is 50 percent vinegar will zap a leg cramp that comes calling in the night.

How to Make Low Salt Pickle Juice

Preserved pickles often begin with salting the vegetables, an important step that helps them stay firm through processing and storage. The condition of the vegetables is less important when making pickle juice, so pre-salting is unnecessary. You need to add only enough salt and sugar to balance flavors and suit your taste, which is much less than is required to make crunchy pickles.

The pickle juice recipes below are all made the same way. Start by heating the vinegar and water in a heavy saucepan. Stir in salt and sugar. While the brine comes to a simmer, trim and cut your vegetables or apples and place them in a clean, heat-proof pint jar. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables. Don’t worry if the veggies float. Screw on the lid, and place in the refrigerator. Wait three days for the flavors to marry. Your homemade pickle juice is done, ready to store for a month or more. Enjoy the pickled vegetables until they are gone, and store the leftover juice in a bottle, or use it as a salad dressing.

Carrot and ginger pickle juice — Carrot pickle juice may cure a cramp and help you get back to sleep

Making Pickle Juice for Leg Cramps at Home

Here are four recipes for homemade pickle juice that are fun to make and great for gulping. Measurements are for a 1-pint canning jar.

Carrot with Ginger

This classic flavor combo makes a fantastic pickle juice that may help promote sleep by providing a buffet of antioxidants. Use rice vinegar if you have it, along with a light sprinkling of mustard seeds.

200 ml (¾ cup) water
200 ml (¾ cup) vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
400 ml (1-3/4 cups) carrots, cut into small pieces
1-inch piece ginger root, thinly sliced

Cucumber celery pickle juice — You can start sipping cucumber-based pickle juice the day it is made

Cucumber with Celery and Mint

Fast-marinating cucumbers and crunchy celery give pickle juice a big flavor kick, which you can brighten with mint or other fresh herbs. Strain out the veggies when they go soft after a week or so, add a tablespoon of vinegar, and save the pickle juice in a small bottle.

200 ml (¾ cup) water
200 ml (¾ cup) vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 large stalk celery, sliced
Several sprigs of fresh mint, chopped

Making apple pickle juice — The brine for pickled apples can be made with little or no salt

Apples with Allspice

Superb on sandwiches or in chopped salads, sweet-and-sour apple pickles last for weeks in the fridge, and they need minimal salt. Expect the apples to darken as the pickle juice develops. Substitute star anise for the allspice if you like.