Here you can share your experiences with substances that are ingested, inhaled, or otherwise consumed for the purpose of relieving RLS, other than prescription medications. For example, herbal remedies, nutritional supplements, diet, kratom, and marijuana (for now) should be discussed here. Tell others of successes, failures, side effects, and any known research on these substances. [Posts on these subjects created prior to 2009 are in the Physical Treatments forum.]
Important: Posts and information in this section are based on personal experiences and recommendations; they should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a healthcare provider.
Some athletes are turning to a lip-puckering remedy for post-workout pain and weakness: tart cherry juice. The juice can be hard to swallow, but the claim is that it diminishes muscle pain and soreness as well as, or better than, many over-the-counter medications.
So far, those claims are mostly anecdotal. The Web is peppered with testimonials of the juice's analgesic powers and rumors of entire football teams guzzling the stuff. The claims are supported by some research, but it's highly preliminary.
I have also tried cherries, and it does seem to help me, hopefully it will help you too.
We've tried the concentrated cherry juice. I usually stir in a few grams of ribose, which is a sugar that is recommended by some fibro experts as being helpful in restoring energy levels. Cherries have some melatonin, which is why it's supposed to help with sleep. I really can't tell.
I've read that it's supposed to help with inflammation. I have gout and haven't found that it helps me.
I wish someone would find a way to do credible, double blind studies on these things. Until then we may find that something works for us or doesn't work for us. And we'll have no idea why...
You may have something there. I have a doctor friend that gets relief from gout attacks by drinking black cherry juice. But he also knows he can prevent it by reducing his protein intake.