Chinese herbs - so far, so good!

[Skysgal]

I have suffered from RLS for more than 60 years and it has gotten steadily worse with age. (I am now 84.) About three weeks ago, I stumbled on this two-year-old online article about Chinese herbs for RLS:

adiantumschool.com/single-p...

I had tried everything, my RLS was getting worse and worse and I was losing several hours of sleep every night so I was feeling pretty desperate. We are in lockfdown here in UK so I searched online for suppliers of Chinese herbs and mail-ordered the three that are recommended: white peony, black cohosh and cramp bark. The author of the article recommends 20 drops of each, three times a day, specially at bedtime. I decided to try just the bedtime dose at first. That night I slept soundly. So I have taken the bedtime dose every night, and so far I have not had any RLS at all since that first night, more than 2 weeks ago. It is feels like a miracle! I just hope it keeps going this way.

[Joolsg]

Delighted it's helping you. Long may it continue. Thanks for sharing.

[Jphickory]

That’s is wonderful !!

[Lstenbro]

That is amazimg. Could you share the webside you bought them?

[Skysgal in reply to Lstenbro]

I couldnt find anywheree that sold all three so I got the white peony from Urban Fringe Dispensary in Bristol <urbanfringe.co.uk/> and the other two from Baldwins in London <baldwins.co.uk/> But you might find something closer to home - maybe someone from one of the TCM clinics in Oslo could help.

[Mulberry100 in reply to Skysgal]

Sounds great and worth a try. Can I ask are you taking any prescribed medication? I am currently taking 1200mg of Gabapentin and the occasional 50mg Tramadol just one at night and wondered if it was safe to take at the same time.

[Skysgal in reply to Mulberry100]

No, I have never taken any meds for it - except the occasional codeine tablet in the middle of the night.

[Allyp69]

Sounds great....will look into those herbs...but CBD oil is helping me..I'm 74...I don't get RLS every day but several times a week..

[StPauliGirl in reply to Allyp69]

That’s fantastic news , It must be such a relief. I use CBD oil too 8 to 1 But it doesn’t always stop the RLS. May I ask you what brand and what strength you are using?

[Allyp69 in reply to StPauliGirl]

Hemp Oil,The Hemp Doctor.. 30ml bottle, 500mg...2 drops under tongue, then swallow, mint flavour as tastes awful!!

[StPauliGirl in reply to Allyp69]

Thanks! is it straight 500mg CBD or is there some THC in it? I'll look for the strength as I haven't run across that brand here in California (strangely).

[Allyp69 in reply to StPauliGirl]

Don't see THC in ingredients..

[StPauliGirl in reply to Allyp69]

Thank you for helping me out. I wish you continued peaceful nights of sleep.

[Skysgal in reply to StPauliGirl]

They were the 'own' brands of the companies I got them from. The bottles didn't specify the strength.

[Reb0013]

Very fascinating and perhaps promising article! By the way the author recommended 60 drops each (he uses 1 part of each herb mixed as a tincture). As you have stated, you are finding success with only 20 drops of the mixed tincture only at bednight. I pray your peace and release of RLS continues. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Skysgal in reply to Reb0013]

No I haven't mixed my three bottles. I simply use 20 drops from each bottle. Sorry, I should have made that clear.

[Reb0013 in reply to Skysgal]

I see, thanks for clarifying!

[StPauliGirl]

I am so happy for you and it is a wonder you have got this long without resorting to medications. How did you do it? Also do you stay away from the usual triggers like caffeine and alcohol? I am a big fan of TCM so I’m going to dig into these recommendations. Thank you so much!

[Skysgal in reply to StPauliGirl]

I've always been an 'alternative health nut'. Kept hoping to find a herb or mineral or whatever that worked. Tried lots of things including CBD oil but nothing worked till now. I allow myself one cup of coffee a day and four small glasses of red wine a week. I really don't think those are triggers for me, for there were many years when I didn't have either coffee or alcohol and still quite often got RLS at night.

[GuillaumeL]

I'd just advise care using any kind of self-medication. Essential oils and plant concentrate can be very potent. Despite using words such as "natural" and "alternative" they are complex and potent drugs and should be used with caution.

Sometimes the active element in a plant that might help with your condition is also accompanied by a whole lot of other things you might not want (hard metals, contaminants, etc.). A lot of so-called "pharmaceutical" products are just these same naturally occurring elements isolated from the stuff you do not want. One other major issue is the quality of these products. They are often considered dietary supplements and are thus not subjected to the same quality control as other types of medications designed to be taken regularly. Notably, concentration of active agents can vary and pesticides and other contaminants can be present in dangerous quantity in these products.

I remember a thread here not too long ago of someone advocating for the use of kratom as a "natural" remedy. This plant is essentially an opioid-like drug with stimulant effects similar to coffee. Combine that with a lack of proper quality control and variable concentrations and you risk a lot for a drug that's essentially the same as an opioid for which you could get precise dosage and an isolation of the element you actually need.

I'm not saying to not try alternative medicine. I myself am supplementing my Pregablin with THC/CBD oil. But I talked to my doctor about it. I guess my point is just to be aware that "natural" and "alternative" are words that often have positive connotation, but they also conceal the very real danger of experimenting on yourself without proper guidance.

[Skysgal]

Update: May 2022. Unfortutely, the Chinese herbs that worked so well for me no longer do, and my RLS is now with me pretty much all night and every night. I had some codeine that my doctor prescribed for me when I had shingles a few years ago and I take that, which does help, but it is terribly constipating so I only allow myself to take it every second night. For the shingles, she also gave me gabapentin and now I am seriously considering taking that to see if it helps. I have read that in the USA they have something called gabapentin encarbil which is specifically for RLS and only requires a bedtime dose, but I can't find any mention of that here in UK. Those of you who find gabapentin useful, what dosage works for your RLS? For off-label treatment of RLS do you take it 3 times a day like it says on the packet?