Best And Natural Home Remedies For Migraines

Best And Natural Home Remedies For Migraines

Apple Cider Vinegar

Being a nutritional powerhouse, apple cider vinegar helps reduce migraines. Apple cider vinegar also offers health benefits like aiding detoxification, controlling blood sugar, regulating high blood pressure, reducing bone pain, promoting weight loss and relieving constipation.
Add one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar to a glass of water.
Mix in one tablespoon of honey.
Drink this daily to prevent as well as treat migraines.
If you are not used to taking apple cider vinegar, start by taking one teaspoon and gradually increase the amount. During migraine attacks or when you feel them coming on, you can take two or three tablespoons.

Ice Pack

Using an ice pack is perhaps the most popular home remedy to get rid of tension as well as migraine headaches. It has a numbing effect that alleviates pain.

Wrap a few ice cubes in a clean towel and place it on your temples, forehead and/or the back of your neck for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat as needed.
You can also try alternating hot and cold compresses for about 15 minutes, as needed. For better results, add lavender and/or peppermint essential oils to the water for the compress.

Feverfew 

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), due to its name suggests that it is a herb used to cure fever. However, feverfew is one of the oldest herbal remedies for stubborn headaches including migraine. When you use feverfew leaves, you instantly feel that the intensity of your migraine headache has been reduced. The magical compound in the feverfew herb is called parthenolides which works by controlling the expansion and contraction of your blood vessels. When your brain signals the blood vessels to get constricted, feverfew will keep them dilated. It also improves the tone of the blood vessels so that you may get fewer headaches over time. Feverfew also neutralizes the chemicals known as prostaglandins that have been known to give pain and swelling. While the best remedy for migraine with feverfew will be to chew on a couple of medium sized feverfew leaves, you can also make tea out of this herb to get relief from your migraine attacks.
1st Way of Using Feverfew Herb for Migraine: Chew Feverfew Leaves
It is as simple as this. Just chew 2-3 fresh leaves of feverfew plant. However, many of you will find it difficult to chew fresh leaves as it may make your tongue lose the sense of taste. If it happens with you, try chewing dry feverfew leaves.
2nd Way of Using Feverfew Herb for Migraine: Make Feverfew Tea
Get this:
Dried feverfew herb- 1 tbsp
Hot water- 1 cup
Honey (optional)- 1-2 tsp
Do this:
Place the feverfew herb in a pot.
You may also add some other herbs like lavender and chamomile flowers, lemon balm leaves etc. to make your tea more flavorful.
Pour hot water over it.
Let it steep for 10-30 minutes depending upon how strong you want your tea to be.
Then strain and mix honey if using.
Drink this tea to get relief from migraine headache.
You may continue to have this tea daily for about 2-3 months or more if you want to cure migraine and avoid recurrence of migraine attacks.
Feverfew gives best result when used with white willow bark which is also our next remedy for migraine.
Precaution: You may or may not get muscle stiffness, nervousness, mouth ulcers, canker sores, loss of taste etc. and sometimes upset stomach too. If so, stop using this herb and consult your doctor. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should not use feverfew herb.

White Willow Bark

White willow bark has long been used to cure pain and inflammation. The chemical ‘salicin’ present in willow bark has active ingredients similar to those found in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It also contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds known as flavonoids. Both, salicin and flavonoids together make this herb an effective pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory natural product. The only concern remains that it works slowly and you may not get instant relief but once it starts working, the effect will last for longer.
How to Make White Willow Bark Tea for Migraine Relief?
Get this:
Dried white willow bark- 1-2 tsp
Water- 1- 1 – ½ cups
Do this:
Add willow bark to water.
Bring the water to a boil.
Reduce the flame and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Put off the flame and let it steep for another 30 minutes or so.
Drink 3-4 cups of this willow bark tea daily.
Precaution: If you are allergic to salicylates like aspirin, avoid using willow bark. Also if you suffer from diabetes, gout, asthma, gastritis, hemophilia and stomach ulcers, consult your doctor before having this herb. Those taking blood thinners and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should also consult their health care providers. This herb is also not suitable for children under the age of 16.

Magnesium 

If you’re deficient in magnesium, it could very well be the cause of your headaches and migraines. Correct the deficiency, end the migraines. And magnesium supplements (or magnesium oil) can get rid of a headache that’s already begun as well

Cherries

Cherries contain the active compound Quercetin, which is a powerful antioxidant and has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Users report that eating cherries or drinking cherry juice helps tremendously with headache pain.

 Drink fish oil

There are some small-scale studies that show the ingestion of fish oil can help reduce migraines and head pain, thanks to its omega-3 fatty acids, which promotes heart health. The American Heart Association states that the ingredients in fish oil may help reduce inflammation, blood clotting, lower blood pressure, and steady heart rhythm. Those actions in turn may help reduce head pain because it may reduce the inflammation of blood cells that press and pinch on nerves.

You will need…
-1 tablespoon of fish oil OR fish oil oral supplements
-1 glass of orange juice

Directions
If you are taking fish oil capsules, follow the dosing on the bottle. If using the actual oil, mix a tablespoon into a glass of cold orange juice and drink up! It’s really not as bad as it sounds.

Ginger root

Prostaglandin synthesis is a process that takes place in some animals (including humans) that makes lipid (fat) compounds within their cells. Those fatty substances are like little chemical messengers that mediate biological processes, like inflammation, and alerting neurons to pain. Certain enzymes spark off the prostaglandin synthesis, while some drugs, such as aspirin, inhibit the synthesis. Gingerroot, a natural alternative, is thought to inhibit the synthesis as well. On top of that, if you’re getting knocked with a migraine, it can help quell your nausea. Simply sip a nice steaming cup of gingerroot tea and relax while you wait for your headache to ease up.

You will need…
-3 quarter size slices of gingerroot
-2 cups of water
Slice 3 slices off of a piece of raw gingerroot, with each being roughly the size of a quarter. Gently simmer the pieces of ginger in 2 cups of water, covered, for 30 minutes. Use something to remove the pieces of ginger and transfer to a mug, or if you prefer, leave them in. Sip slowly and breathe in the steam if you want. Relax!