Stunning Remedy For Painful Foot/Leg Cramps

I am stunned - no other word for it. I often have painful foot cramps when I sit in the recliner in the evenings after dinner with my legs elevated. I take a full range of daily vitamins, minerals and other nutritionals, so the old "you-need-more potassium" thing doesn't hold water. When they happen I try walking them out, applying "Pain-a-Trate", applying heat, and eventually they will cease, but are often painful indeed.

A co-worker of Roger's told him when she got muscle cramps she relieved them by eating some plain yellow mustard. I thought, though didn't say, it sounded like a silly, silly thing. But last night the cramping began, and I was willing to try that "silly" thing. About a teaspoon of plain yellow mustard and 30 seconds later the cramp was gone and did not return.

As I am a person who needs to know the why or how of a thing, I got onto Google to see what I could see. I did not find the how or why answers, but did find plenty of testimonials. Here are a couple:

From “People’s Pharmacy” Q. We tried a treatment from your column for nighttime leg cramps. My husband used to get them frequently and would have to walk them off while in pain.He read that taking mustard would alleviate them so he tried it. Now when he gets leg cramps at night, he takes his mustard and they go away quickly.He keeps a few individual packets of mustard in the bedroom. He thought it was just an “old wives’ tale” but now he’s a believer.A. We are delighted to learn that yellow mustard has helped relieve your husband’s leg cramps. A retired pharmacist told us about this remedy nearly six years ago:“A friend of ours uses plain mustard for leg cramps. She swallows a teaspoonful of mustard to relieve the pain. This home remedy works so well for her that she carries packets of mustard wherever she goes.”Since then we have heard from many folks who use yellow mustard to relieve leg cramps. Although there is no science, we suspect that turmeric, which gives mustard its yellow color, may have a beneficial effect."

"Last year when I was on a flight from TX to IN, and the elderly woman across the aisle from me suddenly complained of leg/foot cramps. She tried to stand for a bit, but when that didn't help, the flight attendant brought her some yellow mustard packets. She swallowed one packet and her cramps disappeared. I was stunned."

And so my seeking mind is humbled by a little yellow mustard. Dad is getting extreme cramping in his legs. I will tell him about this. Whether it's the turmeric or something else; if it works on painful cramps - I'm in. But I would still like to know...