08/18/2026
WHEN DEEP CALM LIVED UP TO ITS NAME 🌿
Once upon a time, many years ago, I suffered terribly from nighttime leg cramps.
The pulling would begin in my toes, work its way through my feet and eventually climb into my calves. My left leg was usually the worst.
I'd wake from a dead sleep in terrible pain, jump out of bed and pace around trying desperately to get my muscles to release. Sometimes the contractions were so strong that my calves would be sore for days.
Eventually I mentioned this to my doctor and learned that my magnesium was quite low. I began supplementing with magnesium and have done so ever since. The terrible cramps mostly disappeared, although every once in awhile I'd still feel that familiar pulling in my toes.
Fast forward about 20 years and I opened my apothecary.
That's when I began learning about topical—or transdermal—magnesium: magnesium applied directly to the skin in sprays, lotions and creams.
One of my earliest formulations was my Lavender & Clary Sage Magnesium Lotion. It remains a customer favorite today. I absolutely love it.
Later, I created a somewhat stronger, deeper formulation as not everyone likes lavender:
Deep Calm Magnesium Lotion.
The magnesium and MSM portions of the two formulas are the same. What makes Deep Calm so different is its essential-oil synergy.
And synergy is where formulation becomes really fascinating to me.
My absolute favorite part of this business is research and formulation. I study herbs and essential oils for the properties I'm looking for and then research which ones work best together.
That's where I think the magic of formulation lives—the whole becomes much more extraordinary than just the sum of its parts!
Deep Calm contains ylang ylang, bergamot, elemi and vetiver.
And a few nights ago, this little formula absolutely astonished its maker.
I've recently returned to the gym. During my first workout back, I did body-weight squats.
I did as many as I possibly could.
You can probably guess what happened next.
By the following day my thighs were SCREAMING. Stairs were awful. Sitting down hurt. Standing back up hurt. Any significant weight on those muscles hurt.
It was classic post-leg-day misery, and I wasn't particularly concerned. I've been there before.
But during the next morning, something happened that I had never experienced in my life.
I woke in the early morning hours with my legs beginning to spasm.
Except these weren't my old leg cramps.
This began high in my thighs.
The spasms then seemed to race downward—through my thighs, into my calves and finally into my feet.
And then all hell broke loose.
Both legs seemed to be contracting and cramping at once.
I flew out of bed and stood on my feet because that's what had always stopped my old nighttime cramps.
It didn't work.
I started walking up and down the hallway.
That didn't work either.
The spasms continued to progress.
I was in tears from the pain and, truthfully, I was becoming frightened.
My muscles simply would not let go.
And then I thought:
DEEP CALM!
I grabbed my jar, sat down just long enough to get the lotion onto my feet and legs as quickly as I possibly could, and got back onto my feet.
And then something extraordinary happened.
Within seconds of applying Deep Calm, the spasms began to quiet.
And then they stopped.
My legs became still.
After everything I'd just been through, I could hardly believe it.
I stood there thinking:
What on earth did my cream just DO?
So, naturally, I had to understand it.
What I experienced that night appears to have been a kind of neuromuscular storm caused by severely fatigued muscles. I've never heard of this before.
Our muscles don't contract all by themselves. They're continually communicating with our nervous system.
Our nerves send signals telling muscle fibers when to contract, while other mechanisms help inhibit that signal and allow the muscle to release.
After an unusually strenuous workout—especially one involving muscles that aren't yet conditioned for that workload—that carefully balanced system became temporarily disrupted.
The muscle becomes extremely fatigued. The nerves controlling it can become hyperexcitable. The normal balance between “CONTRACT” and “RELEASE” can tip too far toward contraction.
And once that feedback loop gets going, the motor neurons can continue firing and the muscle continues contracting.
Contract. Contract. Contract.
That's essentially a muscle cramp.
In my case, I'd worked those big thigh muscles extremely hard. They were already profoundly sore and fatigued. And that's exactly where the storm began.
Suddenly my strange experience made a lot more sense.
But then came the really interesting question:
WHY DID DEEP CALM HELP SO QUICKLY?
I think this is where the formulation itself becomes fascinating.
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium is one of the minerals our nerves and muscles depend upon for normal function.
Calcium participates in triggering muscular contraction; magnesium helps regulate that process and normal neuromuscular excitability. Adequate magnesium helps the nervous system and muscles maintain the delicate balance between contraction and relaxation.
My lotion uses magnesium chloride flakes incorporated into the formulation for topical application.
When magnesium is used topically, magnesium ions can pe*****te into the outer layers of the skin, and can ultimately reaches deeper tissues and circulation.
My muscles and nerves were behaving very badly—and magnesium has an intimate relationship with normal neuromuscular function.
Then there was the rest of the formula.
MSM
MSM is an organosulfur compound I frequently pair with magnesium in my formulations. It's widely used topically in products intended for sore, overworked muscles and joints, and it complements the purpose of this particular formula beautifully. I use it in my creams as it is known to increase absorbancy.
And then come my four essential oils…
YLANG YLANG
This is one of my deeply relaxing oils. It reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation. It has a sedative effect and is very calming to the nervous system In Deep Calm, I chose it to help take the body's foot off the accelerator.
BERGAMOT
Bergamot is another oil I chose for nervous-system support. Its bright aroma is beautifully calming and is commonly used to ease nervous tension, reduce anxiety and stress and encourage relaxation.
VETIVER
I love vetiver. Its a dark horse.
Deep, earthy and grounding. Vetiver is widely known for tis calming effects on the nervous system. It soothes inflamed muscles, joints and tissues when applied topically. Vetiver helps reduce stiffness, cramps and tension. It gives Deep Calm that wonderful exhale quality.
ELEMI
Elemi completed the blend. Traditionally used in topical preparations for tired, painful muscles and tissues, it brings another dimension to the formula while also beautifully balancing the heavier aromatic notes. I love to use it to bring all the players together. It creates harmony and balance.
Individually, every one of these ingredients was interesting to me.
Together, they became Deep Calm.
And that's the part I find so intriguing about what happened that night.
I didn't have ONE thing acting on me.
I had a magnesium-and-MSM topical formulation combined with four carefully selected aromatic oils, all applied directly to the parts of my body that were in absolute revolt.
My legs were in the worst episode of uncontrollable muscle spasms I have ever experienced.
Standing didn't stop it.
Walking didn't stop it.
The spasms were getting worse.
I applied Deep Calm.
Within seconds they began to quiet.
And then they stopped.
That's my experience.
And after a year of making this lotion and hearing customers tell me how much they love it, I have an entirely new appreciation for the little jar I created.
I also learned something else that night.
Don't return to the gym and take your poor unsuspecting legs to failure on Day One.
Muscles need time to condition. Hydration matters. Electrolytes matter. Recovery matters. And strength is built progressively—not by trying to prove to your quadriceps that you're still 30. 🙄
So I'm back to adding my mineral salt to my water. I'm paying closer attention to hydration and potassium-rich foods. And I'm progressively rebuilding these legs rather than attempting to conquer Rome in a single workout.
But there's one other change.
Deep Calm has officially earned a permanent spot beside my bed.
I formulated it.
I've manufactured it for over a year.
I've sold countless jars of it.
I knew people loved it.
I knew I loved it.
But until that frightening early morning, I don't think I completely appreciated the little powerhouse I'd created.
Sometimes the formulator gets to become the customer.
And this time?
The customer was VERY grateful. 🙏
Wellness Note:
Dr. Berg has a great recent you tube video on this very subject. Thumbnail in pics. 😘
