Migraines
To a herbalist, there is no such thing as a garden variety headache. You will probably never hear your herbalist utter the words, "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning. On the contrary.
There are a lot of different types of headaches. Unless you understand the cause of your headaches, you will never be able to cure them permanently.
Food allergies, spinal or cervical injuries, muscle tension, stress, and even constipation are a few of the players in the headache game. Medical doctors, will occasionally take these factors into consideration. Then they will also run a battery of tests to rule out brain tumors or other life threatening problems. If all of your tests say that there is nothing wrong but you still hurt, the herbal approach may help by going beyond text book answers.
The Dreaded Migraine:
Migraines are classified as either common, classic, or complicated. While not all people with migraines have all of these complaints, these head blasters can cause certain nasty symptoms; severe pounding or throbbing pain, exquisite sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Of the three types, approximately 85% of all migraines are considered common. That means that the headache hits out of the blue with none of the warning signs that come with classical migraines. Before the pain of a classical migraine begins, there is usually a 15 to 30 minute time frame of symptoms that signal its onset, including auras of blurred vision or bright spots, disturbed thinking, fatigue, and numbness or tingling on one side of the body. Finally, if these warning symptoms change into the migraine pain they are considered a complicated migraine.
For women, hormones play a role in migraines. 60% of women’s migraines occurring during the luteal phase – that is when, late in your cycle, when estrogen is at its lowest level. The theory is estrogen maintains the vasomotor tone, meaning that it helps to regulate the constriction of blood vessels. When estrogen is low, the blood vessels dilate or widen, and the circulation surges that results in migraines. Herbs with estrogen properties, such as dan gui and black cohosh, can be very helpful for women whose migraines occur during this phase.
Another type of headache feels like your head is about to explode. Applying a cool pack seems to help. While another migraine can grip your head in a steal band. This type of migraine tends to feel better when heat is applied.
It’s important to differentiate what your specific migraine symptoms are, because different herbal treatments are used for each kind.
Herbs that Help Migraines:
FeverFew, Rosemary, Ginkgo, Ginger, Salicin,
