Headaches can sap your energy and ruin your day, but herbal medicine may help relieve the pain. There are different kinds of headache, including tension headache, caused by tight muscles in your shoulders and head, or migraine, caused by constricting arteries around the brain. Over-the-counter medicines may help, but they can have unpleasant side effects. Herbs have a long history of treating headache with few side effects. Consult your health care provider for advice before starting herbal treatment.
Feverfew
Feverfew, or Tanacetum parthenium, is a daisy-like flower native to Europe and parts of Asia. Herbalists use the leaves to treat headaches, and feverfew is used in European phytotherapy as a specific remedy for migraines. The active ingredients include chemicals known as parthenolides, which inhibit serotonin, a hormone that promotes arterial constriction. In their 2000 book, "The Herbal Drugstore," Dr. Linda B. White and medicinal plant expert Steven Foster recommend feverfew tea, capsules or tincture. They say that using teas and extracts made from fresh leaves is better than those made from dried leaves. You should not use feverfew during pregnancy or if you are nursing.
Ginger
Ginger, or Zingiber officinale, is a perennial plant native to India. The rhizomes, which are underground stems, are popular in cooking and medicine. Indian Ayurvedic practitioners and traditional Chinese medicine healers use the plant to treat headache, indigestion, nausea, fever and coughs. In their 2000 book, "The Herbal Drugstore," Dr. Linda B. White and Steven Foster say that ginger is useful for preventing and relieving headaches, especially migraines. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and pain killer, and also eases nausea and chills that may accompany headache. Dr. James F. Balch and Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, recommend making a salve of ginger, peppermint oil and wintergreen oil, and rubbing it on the back of your neck and temples. You can also take ginger root in capsule, tincture or powder form, or grate the fresh root into boiled water and drink it as a tea, alone or combined with other herbs. If you experience heartburn after taking ginger, reduce the amount or discontinue using it.
Passionflower
Passionflower, or Passiflora incarnata, is a creeping vine with white and violet flowers and is native to North America. The leaves and stems contain maltol and ethymaltol, which effect the central nervous system, and traditional healers use the plant as a natural sedative. In their 2009 book, "Medicinal Plants of the World," botanist Ben-Erik van Wyk and biologist Michael Wink recommend passionflower tea to relieve nervousness and insomnia, which often cause or accompany tension headaches. Dr. Linda B. White and Steven Foster also note that passionflower tincture and tea can relax tight muscles that trigger tension headaches.
References
- "The Herbal Drugstore"; Linda B. White, M.D., Steven Foster; 2000
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing": Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, and James F. Balch, M.D.; 2000
- "Medicinal Plants of the World"; Ben-Erik van Wyk and Michael Wink; 2009
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