Natural Remedies for Migraines

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by AEM (San Diego, CA) on 05/30/2007
★★★★★

I have chronic sinusitis and severe migraines and one morning I woke up with an incredible headache. Driving, walking, talking, etc all made it worse and add the nausea...I looked at the site and made a concotion of water, 1 tsp of organic ACV and 1 tsp of honey. It wasn't the best tasting but I gulped it down and voila, pain has dissipated greatly. Thanks!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Mohamed (Abu Dhabi, UAE) on 02/19/2007
★★★★★

Apple cider cured my Migraine! I usually use it two times a day and when I feel there might be an onset I would increase to three times or more..and It works. I really want everybody to know this. You don't need to use any other medicine. I have only have been using homeopathy which had not helped a lot but no side effects. My sister who had been getting weekly migraines has the side effects of being deaf on one side of her ear due to side effects of medication.Now she started the Vinegar cure and she says it Works! How we don't know. Thanks for this Site .. let the world know about this!

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Karen (Union, KY) on 11/09/2006
★★★★★

This is the first time I've tried this for my monthly migraine, which I have had for several years. Nothing I tried seem to prevent this from happening, I could only medicate after it started. This is the first time I haven't had one after using the Molasses. I took a couple of spoonfuls in the morning and took it to work and used a couple of times during the day. I use an organic unsulphered brand. So glad I have found this, no more migraine this month. I really can't believe this, still waiting to see if one comes on.

Coffee + Lemon Juice

Posted by Vanessa (Lisbon, Portugal) on 11/06/2006
★★★★★

I started suffering from migraines a few years ago and I had tried almost all natural cures I found in books, sites (I tried almost all cures listed in this site) etc.. I was desperate the migraines were getting worst there were days I could not even got up from bed. While visiting my grandma I mentioned the migraines and she told me to try coffee with a few drops of lemon. Since I don't like coffee and had tried almost everything I thought it wasn't something as simple as a cup of coffee that would make me feel better. One day I was so desperate that I remind that and thought I had nothing to lose trying it. I drank a cup of coffee with 5/6 drops of lemon and it was like a miracle the migraine was gone in 15 minutes. I hope this could help people who, like me, suffers from bad migraines and their bodies don't react well to other cures.

Magnesium

Posted by Darla (Los Angeles) on 04/27/2006
★★★★★

I had been suffering from daily severe headaches, usually on the left side of the head, and migraine symptoms, migraine headaches, most severe pain I have ever experienced. I was given many pain meds from doctor from naxopen (ibruprofen type pain killer) to tylenol w/ codeine # 3 and # 4, I was beginning to experience what is called a "rebound headache" from over use of pain meds (both prescribed and OTC), I read somewhere that magnesium helps relieve/prevent migraines. I began taking magnesium w/calcium supplements as well, and in less than 2 weeks, I began to feel much better. I am now headache-free/migraine-free about 90% of the time. I really recommend it to anyone who suffers from daily migraines/headaches, it has really improved my quality of life, hope it helps you too.

Trigger Point Massage

Posted by Nicole (west islip, NY) on 04/10/2006
★★★★★

I suffer from horrible migraines which begin with a tightening in the muscles at the base of the skull then affecting 1/2 of my head, especially behind the eye. The pressure of the massage breaks up the tissue that is inflamed. Ice packs help too.

Botox

Posted by Vanessa (Willemstad) on 10/19/2023
★★★★★

Hello everybody. I used to experience very debilitating headaches. It has been for sure more than 10 years. I have been to several doctors and have tried different types of medicines. I even tried natural remedies, drinking water and exercise. But nothing helped. I used to think that it was related to my bowel movements because that was not going very well either. I tried a lot of things went to therapy, which helped for a while. A doctor told me to look for information on Botox. Well I decided to go online and read more about Botox and saw that there is a chance that it might help. I went to the doctor that performs it. I have not had a headache since. Thank you

Migraines and Alzheimer's Disease Link

Posted by Art (California) on 07/19/2023 2684 posts
★★★★★

A friend who I have known for roughly 30 years always has had migraine headaches for as long as I have known her. About two years ago, she started showing symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which is advancing very rapidly.

I was wondering if migraines might be a forewarning of future AD, and according to the following article, it definitely is with people who regularly have migraine headaches being three times more likely for men and 6 times more likely for women to get AD than non-migraine people :

https://www.migrainedisorders.org/migraine-and-alzheimers-disease/#:~:text=The study found that a, 9.9% of cognitively intact participants.&text=They also found that people, dementia than people without dementia.

Here are two very relevant quotes from this interesting article :

' A 2001 study examining the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease found that men and women with a history of migraine were three times more likely to develop AD.5 Looking at women alone, the study found that they were almost 6 times more likely to develop AD.5 '

' Another study was conducted to determine if migraine was a risk factor for dementia subtypes; Alzheimer's and vascular. The study found that a history of migraine was noted in 23.5% of participants with AD compared to 9.9% of cognitively intact participants.6 They also found that people with a history of migraine were three times more likely to have dementia than people without dementia.6 Similar to the previous study, they found that people with AD were four times more likely to have a history of migraine disease.6 Interestingly, when looking at the subtypes of dementia, they found no correlation with a history of migraine and vascular dementia.6 '

I tried to convince my friends to try alternative means of improving her situation, but my other friend, her husband, will not try any alternatives even though she is declining very rapidly. She is now so bad in just two years that she could not remember to take helpful supplements without someone giving them to her.

If you have migraines regularly, you are at increased risk for AD, especially if you are a woman. It may be worth taking steps early on to improve your chances against getting AD.

Art

Cefaly Neuromodulation Device

Posted by Bethbs (London) on 07/04/2022
★★★★★

Once migraine becomes chronic the nerves in the head become over sensitised, small triggers become a major cause of pain and the cycle is difficult to break.

I've had a Cefaly neuromodulation device for about 2 years. It was almost unendurable to use at first, probably due to this over sensitisation effect. I used it as recommended, daily, for the first month or two but I admit I slackened off and used it only occasionally thereafter. Gradually it became easier to use and I restarted the daily use this year. Only then did it really work. I've had only one migraine in the last two months (usually average 13 per month).

It's not cheap (about £300) and the electrodes have to be bought regularly (they last longer if you're scrupulous about cleaning your brow before use, and putting them straight back on their plastic sheet afterwards). However, this device has broken a chronic migraine condition that's lasted decades.

I should add, I've been careful never to overuse migraine medicines, though I suspect the bar is set too high, especially for ergotamine-containing meds and some people can probably go into overuse while keeping well within the recommended limits.

Eliminating any source of inflammation, so far as possible, also has a role to play. Gum health is critical and food intolerances should be explored.

I also take a couple of supplements and it's taken a few years to hit on a combo that seems to work for me. Magnesium L-Threonate, a B multi; and Vitamin D in Winter. I do better without the high dose vitamin B2 recommended by headache doctors.

Magnesium

Posted by Marie-Louise (Zurich, Switzerland) on 07/26/2020

Hello Beth,

I have also Migraines since ages. Lately I am taking Vita Biosa for an other issue. My Migraines starting to be less. You can buy the Original also in England (see comments at Amazon first). Because of Covid I red about Melatonin. But Melatonin can also help Cluster headaches and Migraines and other pain issues. Try a sustained typ before bedtime.

Regards,

Marie Louise, Zurich Switzerland

Liver Detox Herbs

Posted by Carolyn (Tx) on 06/11/2020
★★★★★

I had migraines for years. I did have some triggers, but avoiding them didnt solve. My problem was heavy metals and silver fillings. I did a heavy metal detox program with an integrative physician (expensive, but worth it). No longer have headaches. The liver is under a lot of stress to keep things cleared out, and requires support.

Peppermint, Lavender Oils

Posted by Katie (Cholula, Mx) on 07/16/2018
★★★★★

Apply a couple of drops of mint essential oil to the base of the neck and where the pain is, as well as lavender essential oil to the temples. I was shocked at how quickly this works! It completely removed the migraine within 10 minutes.

Herbs and Supplements

Posted by Let It Go (Los Angeles, California) on 01/21/2017 10 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Herbs and supplements for migraines

I am dealing with headaches/migraines since young age of 2, but just the last few years I started using natural ways to stop them. I use many things as I noticed, that sometimes remedies, that worked for me one day, might not work the other. Lately I started combining several remedies together, and that seems to work better than using any one of them. For prevention I use mainly magnesium and alpha lipoic acid. I take either magnesium malate powder or magnesium glycinate capsules without any fillers. I feel that I need minimum of 600mg a day, but if I ate sugar or day was stressful for any reason, I need more. It is not cheap, otherwise I would probably take daily 1000 mg. I can't take more than 300mg at one sitting though without getting belly rumbles, so I take my in two doses. I take 2 alpha lipoic acid 300mg tablets per day-also in two times. I feel that those two help a lot, however I am not particularly good at taking it every day twice a day since I do not like to eat breakfast early, so I have to remember to pack them in my bag. If I take just once a day for a few days, migraine comes. When it comes, I take:

1. 600 mg magnesium at once or within 2 hours (better tummy troubles than horrible headache)

2. drink 2-3 tablsp ACV in a large glass of water (I avoid honey as sugar negates some of the magnesium)

3. drink wood betony tincture (2 droppers in a bit of water.) I also use devil's claw tincture with good results. I tried wild lettuce one, but that tends to give me more nausea.

4. take half teaspoon of turmeric and half teaspoon of ginger powder with some black pepper for better absorption in a bit of water.

Those 4 things work really well for me. Much better than drugs, because even though those would take the pain, but would make me feel weak, and nausea would still be there. Herbs/supplements make me feel good, not just take the pain away.

I did use cayenne tincture couple times to stop it, when I was out and didn't have my usual remedies. It works for a while, but then it would come back. Now I make sure I have at least magnesium and tincture with me at all times.

Avoid High Histamine Foods

Posted by Giulietta (Gandia, Spain) on 11/10/2016
★★★★★

My migraines after 20 years at last understood. They are due to histamine intolerance.

So I have to:

1. Avoid histamine containing foods Aged foods have alot of histamine like cheeses that are matured, miso, tempeh and all other fermented food

2. Foods that cause histamine to be released in the body

3. Foods that destroy the enzyme (Dao)that regulates histamine in the body, eg black and green and puerrh tea.

The doctor who found this is looking for a vegetarian source of Dao for me

L-Tyrosine

Posted by Cristina (Brunswick, Md) on 12/31/2015
★★★★☆

I have had migraines all my life. Doctor gave me imitrex, wellbutrin, topomax and I tried so many others. I went off all of those because I'm trying to get pregnant. I started taking l-tyrosine 500mg once daily in the morning because every morning I wake up with a migraine. That combined with one excederin tension pill and a back and body pill..Bayer... the headaches stay away. I really hope this helps others. Once in awhile a migraine sneaks in and I have to take imitrex.

Without the l-tyrosine I get an instant migraine so don't run out if it helps you. You can get them online, but most vitamin stores don't carry it. God bless.

Feverfew

Posted by Flo (Auckland) on 11/30/2015
★★★★★

My migraine headaches started after having my wisdom teeth removed...I immediately became allergic to pollens, too much sun or wind.

I reacted badly to noise and light while having a migraine, also got zig zags in front of my eyes. And felt drained of energy.

After many years of suffering I started taking the herb feverfew. I took one capsule every day, and while taking them never got another migraine. Once over menopause the migraine lessened and now I only need to take antihistamine from time to time.