8+ Herbs for Headaches

Herbal remedies for headaches are always a welcome, as headaches are one of those conditions that seems to plague just about everyone from time to time.  There are a number of simple, yet effective herbal remedies for headaches that can make a huge difference in your quality of life, all from simple easy to make herbal remedies.

Headaches are one of those things that nobody likes, but everyone experiences at some point.  Some of use are more prone to them than others, and it’s nice to have natural alternatives to over the counter and prescription pain relievers.

I asked the Herbal Academy of New England if they’d be willing to share this excerpt from their Introductory Herbal Course, and they kindly allowed me to share this excerpt with you.  The course itself covers just about everything you need to know to get started with herbs, all in an easy to read, beginner friendly format.

The course includes a comprehensive Materia Medica with details on more than 80 herbal monographs, focusing on easy to find and beginner friendly herbs. It also teaches you how to turn those herbs into all the common herbal preparations, including teas, tinctures, salves, poultices and more.

If you download and print the course as a hardy copy, it’s more than 800 pages long…and that doesn’t include the video lessons!

If you want more details about what exactly is covered, you can find the full table of contents for the course here.

This guide to herbal headache remedies is just one small section, and the course also covers many other common problems like insomnia.

The following is an excerpt from the Introductory Herbal Course from the Herbal Academy of New England.  It is reprinted with permission, and has been edited slightly to fit the web.

Types of Headaches

All headaches are caused by stimulation of pain receptors in the head or neck; these include nerves in the skull, sinuses, teeth, and in the meninges that line the spinal cord. Headaches can arise from a number of factors, and involve different physiological responses, depending on the type of headache. In this lesson, we will focus on the most common primary headache disorders, migraine and tension headaches. Although these types of headaches certainly have underlying triggers or causes, they are considered “primary” because they are not the result of a separate disease process. Secondary headaches can arise from a wide number of underlying disorders, ranging from relatively benign concerns such as sinusitis, mild dental pain, and caffeine withdrawal, to life-threatening conditions including severe hypertension, central nervous system infection, and brain tumors (Silberstein, 2018).

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches were previously understood to result from excess vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) in the vasculature of the brain. While the pathophysiology of migraine headaches is still not completely understood, migraines are now considered neurovascular (rather than simply vascular) headaches, and involve a combination of hyperarousal of cranial nerves, excess vasodilation, changes in neurohormone levels, and inflammation (Goadsby, 2001).

Migraines are characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, usually described as throbbing or pounding, most commonly in the front of the head or behind the eyes; they may also cause nausea or vomiting and intolerance to light or sound. Some migraine sufferers experience a distinct prodrome (symptoms that indicate the onset of the migraine), which can include changes in mood, appetite, or sensory perception. About 25% of migraine patients experience aura migraines, which involve changes to visual perception such as the appearance of flashing or streaming light or even loss of vision. Migraines typically last from several hours to several days and are often resolved by sleep (Silberstein, 2018).

There are a number of potential triggers for migraine headaches; these vary in each individual, and not everyone will react to the same factors. Common migraine triggers include the following:

Dietary Factors

• Foods containing amines (e.g., histamine or tyramine), particularly red wine and aged meats or cheeses;
• Chocolate and caffeinated beverages;
• Individual food intolerance, commonly gluten, dairy, or grass-family grains; and
• Skipping meals/prolonged fasting (Winston, 2016).

Environmental Factors

• Changes in weather; and
• Exposure to bright lights, loud noises, or strong odors (Winston, 2016).

Physical Stressors

• Overexertion;
• Lack of sleep or change in sleep pattern; and
• Neck or jaw tension (Silberstein, 2018).

Hormonal Changes

• Change in estrogen levels (menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause); and
• Change in serotonin levels (Winston, 2016).

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches arise from constriction or spasm in the muscles of the face, scalp, neck, and/or head. Tension headaches may be episodic, appearing fewer than 15 days in a month, or chronic, occurring more than 15 days per month.

Tension headaches usually involve mild to moderate pain, tightness, and/or pressure around the front, top, or side of the head and may last from 30 minutes to several days (McCance et al., 2010). The muscle tension that gives rise to tension headaches may be a result of fatigue, poor posture, stress, anxiety, or repeated muscle strain or overuse. These headaches differ significantly from migraines and generally do not include changes in vision, nausea or vomiting, or light sensitivity.

Tension headaches are sometimes attributed to changes in the weather or altitude or changes in sleep patterns or meal times; most notably, stress can be an important factor in development of tension headache. However, it is important to note that what appears to be a “normal” or tension headache may also be a forme fruste (mild atypical) migraine; these headaches will generally not respond well to therapies for tension headache (Silberstein, 2018).

Herbal Supports for Headaches

The key to keeping headaches at bay is discovering your individual triggers. Many chronic headache sufferers are already intimately aware of the patterns and triggers that surround their headaches, but others may need to spend some time getting to know this aspect of their health. Basic body awareness and self-care practices can be invaluable in determining triggers and preventing headaches.

A printable version of the headache materia medica below is available here.

Tension Headaches

To avoid tension headaches, scan your body periodically and notice if you are holding tension anywhere. Where do you feel tension or pain? Are you clenching your jaw, hunching your shoulders, or holding your breath? Simply beginning to notice the body, or practicing body awareness, can help you begin to tune into the immediate causes of tension. If you have significant postural or structural issues, it may be helpful to work with a physical or occupational therapist to help reorient your body to different patterns of posture and movement.

Massage can also be incredibly helpful in avoiding muscle tension—even just a neck or back rub from a friend can help relax the muscles. Other simple tools include applying heat—try using a warm rice pack, heating pad or hot water bottle, or a soak in a hot bath—and using gentle movement to help prevent development of muscle stiffness that can develop into spasm. Tension headaches can also result from dehydration, so be sure to drink plenty of water and non-caffeinated beverages.

The relaxation practices and herbal support for stress covered in the previous lesson are also useful for the avoidance of tension headaches. Enjoying nervine herbs on a daily basis, whether in tea, massage oil, or a bath or foot bath, may help reduce stress and muscle tension that contribute to tension headaches.

Antispasmodics

In addition to the nervine herbs listed in the last lesson, antispasmodic (also known as spasmolytic) herbs can help ease muscle tension and spasm, making them particularly useful for tension-type headaches. Common antispasmodic herbs include cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) bark, valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root, ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome, vervain (Verbena spp.) aerial parts, lavender (Lavandula spp.) flower bud, and skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) aerial parts.

Crampbark

The cramp bark bush grows in the northern half of the United States, where it is also known as highbush cranberry. Multiple species of Viburnum are native throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and have been used in both traditional European and indigenous North American herbalism. Harvest cramp bark twigs in the spring. First, scratch the bark to check for the presence of its characteristic smell—if the twig is too young, it will lack the key chemical constituents that give it both its aroma and effect. Peel the bark off the twig and then dry for use in tea or tincture.

Actions: Antispasmodic, astringent, cardiotonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, hypotensive

Energetics: Cooling and drying

Use: As implied by its name, cramp bark has a long history of use for relaxing all sorts of cramps in both smooth and skeletal muscle. In addition to its usefulness for headaches, menstrual cramps, and general muscle tension, cramp bark is also a mild hypotensive and cardiovascular tonic and is frequently used as a vaso-relaxant in herbal hypotensive formulas.

Topically, cramp bark oil, cream, or salve can be used to help relax muscles and restore blood flow to injured joints and the surrounding tissues and thus is a helpful topical herb for the pain of arthritis, back pain, and headaches (Foster & Johnson, 2006; Schar, 1995).

While the bark is the primary part of cramp bark that is used, the berries are also used as food and, to a lesser extent, in herbalism. In Russia, cramp bark berries have been used for high blood pressure and for addressing heart disease, while in Siberia, the berries were often fermented and mixed with flour to create a bitter alcoholic drink. In Norway and Sweden, cramp bark berries have been used to flavor a paste of honey and flour and have been jellied and served as a substitute for cranberries in Canada (Grieve, 1971).

The berries have a pleasant, if very tart, flavor, while the bark of cramp bark has some of the same constituents found in valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root, giving it a very distinct taste and smell—it’s sometimes compared to sweaty socks! Not surprisingly, you may find you prefer cramp bark (and valerian) as a tincture, rather than a tea.

Safety: Cramp bark is generally considered safe (Gardner & McGuffin, 2013).

Dose: Decoction: 6-12 g dried bark/day divided into 1-4 doses (Mills & Bone, 2005); Tincture: 4-8 mL (1:5, 40%) up to 3x/day (Hoffmann, 2003).

Vervain

The American native blue vervain (Verbena hastata) is generally used interchangeably with European vervain (V. officinalis). Blue vervain is easy to grow in a sunny garden with moist soil, or can be wild-harvested from boggy fields and riparian areas; harvest as the tall stalks begin to open their rich purple flowers, usually in middle to late summer.

Actions: Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, anxiolytic, bitter, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactagogue, hepatic, immunostimulant, liver stimulant, mild sedative, nervine tonic, vulnerary

Energetics: Cooling

Use: In contemporary herbalism, vervain is primarily used as a bitter hepatic and a relaxing nervine trophorestorative (tonic). Although not a powerful sedative, it has a relaxing effect on both the nervous and musculoskeletal systems and may help individuals avoid headaches due to its relaxing nature. Specifically, vervain is a natural ally for the high-strung, “overdrive” individual who has difficulty turning off their brain or taking down-time. As a digestive bitter, vervain is also useful for those who experience headaches stemming from digestive imbalance.

Historically, vervain was used externally, applied to the head to ease pain, in the late Renaissance and through the early 20th century in Europe (Mazzei et al., 2018; Parkinson, 1640). The Eclectic physicians of the early 20th century used vervain as a specific for the head (Tobyn et al., 2016) and sometimes favored the root over the aerial portions.

Blue vervain has an intensely bitter taste, so may be easier to ingest in tincture or glycerite form. It can also be included in topical preparations such as compresses, baths, oils, creams, and salves.

Safety: Vervain is contraindicated during pregnancy, particularly early pregnancy, because of its emmenagogue action (Brinker, 2010). The herb is also emetic in high doses (Holmes, 2006).

Dose: Infusion: 2-4 g dried herb/day divided into 1-3 doses; Tincture: 2.5-5 mL (1:5; 40%) 3x/day (Hoffmann, 2003). 

Migraines

As with tension headaches, developing body awareness of how you feel, both physically and emotionally, before a migraine can help to determine your unique triggers. This can be complex for migraine sufferers, since multiple environmental, hormonal, and dietary factors can be at play. As with tension headaches, managing stress and getting enough sleep are important factors, since these can also be circumstantial triggers for migraines.

Dietary triggers are common, so keeping a food diary for several weeks can be useful and can help uncover food sensitivities. As discussed, common food triggers include amine-rich foods, particularly wine, aged meat and cheese, caffeine, dairy, wheat and other grains. It may be helpful to try an elimination diet to determine what foods trigger migraines; if this process feels overwhelming, or you’re not sure how to maintain a healthy diet while avoiding certain foods, working with a nutritionist or dietitian can help you navigate the complexities of managing food sensitivities.

Analgesics

An analgesic is any substance that eases pain. Although not as powerful as some synthetic analgesics, herbal analgesics can be helpful in lessening the pain of a headache, whether it be a tension-type or a migraine.

One of the most common over-the-counter analgesic drugs is aspirin, or salicylic acid. Aspirin was originally derived from plants that contain salicylates, compounds used to make salicylic acid. Herbs with significant quantities of salicylates have an anti-inflammatory and pain-soothing effect, but unlike aspirin, they don’t irritate the stomach lining (Hoffmann, 2003). Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) aerial parts, willow (Salix spp.) bark, wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) leaf, and birch (Betula spp.) bark all contain salicylates.

Other analgesic herbs, such as ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome, do not contain salicylates. Research suggests that ginger may be useful in migraine headaches—one clinical trial found ginger capsules to be as effective as the common migraine drug sumatriptan (Maghbooli et al., 2014).

Feverfew

Feverfew is commonly found in sunny meadows throughout much of the U.S. and is easy to grow in the garden at home—in fact, many gardeners consider it a weed! In warmer climates, feverfew will easily establish itself as a short-lived perennial and makes a hardy annual in colder areas. While feverfew is usually harvested for its leaf before the flower buds open, you may want to let some of your plants flower so you can enjoy the cheery yellow and white blossoms.

Actions: Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, aperient, bitter, carminative, decongestant, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, vermifuge

Energetics: Cooling and drying

Use: Multiple clinical trials have indicated that feverfew may be effective in preventing migraines (Wider et al., 2015), though it should be taken regularly for best results. It’s worth noting that trials where feverfew is used in combination with other herbs, such as willow (Salix spp.) or ginger (Zingiber officinale), generally show that the combination formulas are superior to feverfew on its own, especially for easing pain in migraines after onset (Winston, 2016). For avoiding migraines, feverfew may need to be used consistently for 4-6 weeks before taking effect.

As an anti-inflammatory, feverfew can also be useful for addressing musculoskeletal inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. It is strongly bitter and sometimes included in digestive formulas. It is also an emmenagogue, meaning it helps bring on menstruation and can stimulate uterine contraction—so while it may be useful in a formula to address irregular menstrual cycles, feverfew is contraindicated in pregnancy.

Safety: Those with allergic sensitivity to Asteraceae (daisy) family plants may experience sensitivity to feverfew. Feverfew should not be used in pregnancy. Individuals discontinuing the use of feverfew should lower the dose gradually, over a 1 month period, to avoid “post-feverfew syndrome,” something that has been reported in 10% of long-term feverfew users that involves symptoms of aches, pains, stiffness, anxiety, and sleep disturbance (Gardener & McGuffin, 2013).

Dose: Fresh leaf: 1 fresh leaf eaten 1-3x/day; Standardized extract (minimum 0.2% parthenolide): 25-125 mg/day (Hoffmann, 2003).

Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet is also sometimes called queen of the meadow; on stalks that grow up to 6 feet in height, its fragrant, feathery white blossoms sway gently over stream banks and grassy fields in the warmth of late summer. Meadowsweet can be a lovely addition to your garden—deer tend to avoid this plant, so it makes a great ornamental in heavily browsed areas—but do be sure to mulch heavily and water often, as meadowsweet likes to keep its roots moist.

Actions: Alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, gastroprotective, nervine

Energetics: Cooling and drying

Use: Meadowsweet is high in salicylates, which contribute to its ability to ease pain, swelling, and fever; it makes an excellent addition to supportive teas during colds and the flu where there is fever and muscle or joint ache. Not only for headache pain, it can also be used for joint pain due to injury and as an ongoing support for chronic inflammatory joint conditions with heat and swelling.

In addition to its use for musculoskeletal pain, meadowsweet is a superb digestive herb. It has a soothing, protective effect on the lining of the stomach and acts as an anti-inflammatory in the gastrointestinal tract; it can help ease heartburn, dyspepsia, and ulceration (Hoffmann, 2003). Meadowsweet is often described as an antacid and is occasionally described as contraindicated in hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid); however, its effect is more specifically to decrease inflammation and to regulate stomach acid levels (Wood, 2008) and can be considered as part of a digestive protocol when there are signs of heat and irritation in the gastrointestinal tract. It may be particularly helpful when digestive troubles are causing headaches, as well.

Safety: While meadowsweet is very safe, its high tannin content may make it unsuitable for those with constipation, anemia, or malnutrition (Mills & Bone, 2005).

Dose: Infusion: 12-18 g dried aerial parts/day divided into 1-4 doses (Mills & Bone, 2005); Tincture: 2-4 mL (1:5, 45%) 3x/day (Hoffmann, 2003).

Specific Herbal Headache Remedies

Headache Ease Tea

This tea combines nervine and aromatic herbs to make a blend that is useful for soothing headaches, easing muscle tension, calming nausea, and even for encouraging sleep.

Ingredients

Directions

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