6 Natural Migraine Remedies that Work!

Updated Sep 12, 2022 · 41 Comments

I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. I am not a doctor; please consult your practitioner before changing your supplement or healthcare regimen.

If you’re looking for Natural Migraine Remedies, I’m excited about sharing with you what worked for our family. These 6 remedies, plus a few other suggestions at the end of the article, will hopefully help to provide relief for you, too.

Our daughter’s migraine headaches

My daughter’s had migraine headaches for years. And she’s only 14. I have other relatives who’ve lived with them for years, with no relief except for from strong pharmaceuticals (which can have side effects).

My daughter overcame her migraines, for the most part, when we discovered that she was intolerant to dairy. With removing this food group, she rarely gets them anymore. But occasionally, with change in atmospheric pressure, or waking too quickly before the sun is up, she’ll get one.

I finally buckled down to get at the heart of them — their most frequent causes and the best natural treatments that work. This post is a sort of round-up of the most effective natural treatments I’ve read about for migraines. I hope they’ll help you, if it’s something you struggle with, too.

What are migraines

Migraines are thought to be caused by the dilation, or expansion, of cranial blood vessels.

Possible migraine headache triggers

What causes migraines? The word that’s used to describe their causal factor is trigger.

Here are the most common migraine triggers:

certain medications
tannins
caffeine
stress
hormone changes
food intolerances
waking up too quickly outside of one’s circadian rhythm (before the sun)
too much light or sun
excessive exposure to TV or noise
changes in weather and atmospheric pressure
exercise and dehydration
allergies
lack of sleep
too much sleep
anxiety
a viral infection
the head’s weight over time/bulging disk/nerve pain

Triggers may take a full 24 hours to manifest themselves into a migraine headache, which makes their cause a bit harder to track.

But being aware of new foods or changes that may have occurred in the last day help to isolate the cause.

Natural Migraine Remedies

What’s the cause of your migraines?

Sometimes the best way to determine the cause is to try gentle treatments. Which treatment works may tell you what your body was lacking.

1. B-2 (Riboflavin) for migraines

400 mg. of Vitamin B-2 (considered a high dose) is now commonly being prescribed for migraine prevention, or for reducing the frequency with which a patient suffers migraines. Increasing riboflavin-rich foods within one’s diet is also a good strategy: dairy, eggs, poultry, seafood, meat and leafy greens.

Many patients testify complete relief from migraines with 400 mg. daily supplementation. This is one of the easier approaches to try.

2. Red raspberry leaf for migraines

For those migraines triggered by hormonal changes, red raspberry leaf is excellent at balancing hormone levels. Not brewing it too strong may benefit those who are also affected by tannins.

To Make the Tea

It is beneficial to combine red raspberry leaf with other herbs that help it to assimilate. Peppermint leaf is great for flavor and for circulation. Alfalfa leaf compensates for malnutrition and facilitates the absorption of other herbs. Use raspberry leaf alone or combine the three. Make a big batch for the fridge so you can drink it throughout the day or brew it by the cup. One woman who found this method helpful drank 1 quart daily and found herself with zero migraines as a result. When she stopped consuming the tea daily, the migraines returned.

To Use the Tincture

This is what I’ve been doing lately (for general hormone balancing). It’s just easier during certain phases of life to use the tincture. Tea making/drinking is pretty simple, but the tincture is a great alternative when the tea doesn’t happen. I take one dropperful each morning for general hormone balancing and whenever I feel a headache beginning. This morning I felt a headache coming on, drank 6 ounces of water with one dropperful of red raspberry leaf and the headache was gone within minutes.

3. Magnesium for migraines

An estimated 50% of migraine sufferers have reduced levels of magnesium during an acute migraine attack.

The concentration of magnesium in one’s body affects neurotransmitters and receptors, as well as the body’s ability to synthesize and release nitric oxide (which affects the dilation of cranial blood vessels). Low levels of magnesium also speak to a methylation deficiency.

400-600 mg. of magnesium daily, in divided doses, is recommended to abate headaches that are brought on due to magnesium deficiency. Topically applied magnesium is the most bio-available. This is my favorite spray. I put it on twice daily and it does not leave the sticky residue that some oils leave. Here’s more information on the dosage provided by magnesium oils and salts.

4. Low Tyramine, Histamine, Arginine Diet for migraines

Many who suffer from migraines will do well to temporarily eliminate the following amino acids. Patients are often sensitive to two of the following three.

Tyramines and migraine headaches

A certain function in the liver and intestines may be compromised in those who have low tyramine-triggered migraines. Normally tyramines, amino-acid derivatives, are inactivated by an enzyme called MAO. When this does not occur tyramines can become excessive and trigger migraines.

Eliminating foods (for 30-60 days) that contain tyramines is a good way to determine if this could be the cause of migraines in your body.

Tyramine foods are as follows: aged cheeses, smoked or preserved fish, cured meats, certain beers (especially those on tap), red wine, sauerkraut and other fermented foods, soy sauce, miso, broad beans, yeast extract, grapes, dried fruits with sulfur dioxide, and OTC cold and cough medicines.

Taking an encapsulated probiotic is a good idea if you eliminate all fermented foods for a trial period, so your body doesn’t go without probiotics.

Histamines and migraine headaches

Histamines occur in foods due to a natural microbial fermentation. Some high-histamine foods overlap with foods that contain tyramines. Again, patients with histamine intolerance have too little of certain enzymes that should break down histamine, allowing histamines to become excessive in the body. Some people supplement with DAO, one of the enzymes that may be missing that helps to metabolize histamines, in addition to reducing high-histamine foods in their diet.

The following high histamine foods can be avoided to determine if you have a histamine sensitivity: aged cheeses, alcohol, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, aged/smoked meats, shellfish, frozen fish, sauerkraut and other fermented foods, bone broth, leftovers, certain fruits (citrus, bananas, strawberries, red prunes, pears, kiwi, raspberries, papaya), avocados, tomatoes, spinach, certain nuts (peanuts, cashews, walnuts), cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, and several others. See a fuller list and gain more understanding of histamines here.

Read more helpful articles about overcoming histamine issues here:

Histamine Recovery Tips
Low Histamine AND Low Oxalate Food List with Printable
Low Histamine AND Low Lectin Combined Food List with Printable (includes Chicory Breve recipe)
Recipes: Low Histamine Mexican Stew, Low Histamine Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew, Low Histamine Bone Broth

Arginines and migraine headaches

Arginines are amino acids found in peanuts, nuts and chocolate.

They cause dilation of cranial blood vessels (by increasing the quantity of nitric oxide in the blood), the very cause of migraines. By eliminating or reducing one’s consumption of arginines, the blood vessels are able to normalize.

Here’s a fuller list of high-arginine foods.

When reintroducing tyramines, histamines, and arginines, it is best to add back in only one or a few foods at a time.

Variations within a category can occur. For instance, a patient may be able to add back in cloves and cinnamon, but not cocoa. Taking time with the reintroduction of foods will help clarify which foods are antagonistic.

5. Curcumin

The anti-inflammatory compound found in turmeric, curcumin, works to remedy migraine headaches by reducing inflammation in cranial blood vessels. Curcumin supplementation may not address the root cause of migraines, but it does provide relief for some patients.

One source suggests combining curcumin with additional herbs or supplements based on the location of the migraine:

Since most migraines affect the right or left side, some studies have been conducted on which nutritional supplements will benefit which type of migraine. For example, calcium, cat’s claw or iron may benefit those with left-side migraines and magnesium, turmeric or zinc may benefit those with right-side migraines.

500 mg. of curcumin taken three times daily is suggested as a starting place dosage. Please consult your doctor to find the dosage right for you.

6. Solving: Posture, bulging disk and nerve pain

If you have headaches or migraines that are better in the morning, and then they worsen in the afternoon, you may have an issue of a bulging disk and nerve pain.

This cause is often elusive because patients have a migraine or even pain in their shoulders, wrist or hand — so it’s hard to understand what the cause really is.

The weight and position of our head and neck can cause nerve pain in the head and face.

This clinic helps its patients discover their source of pain (upper spine, back of the neck posture issues) to resolve migraines forever. I have a good friend who used this method and loved the results.

Lesser solutions that may bring relief

In my usual manner, I like to share Honorable Mentions. These are remedies that work for some, that are worth mentioning:

I have heard good things about the homeopathic Sanguinaria Canadensis 30c.
Detox bath or detox foot bath- I’ve only had a few migraines in my life. But this method works for me when it happens. I add peppermint and lavender essential oils to the water, and partial (75%) relief is pretty quick.
Drinking apple cider vinegar in water- This is what we used to do for my daughter when we didn’t know of other remedies. It helped- 1 tablespoon in 12 ounces of water. She also used to lie down in a dark room. Glad those days are over.

Lastly, what about headaches brought about by the Keto or a low-carb diet? Read more on that here, and how to avoid the Keto-flu.

You can Pin this post here:

woman with headache and 5 natural remedies for migraines wording over the image — freeimages.com/arielcamilo

I’d love to hear your experiences! Share in the comments your thoughts and what works well for you.

SOURCES

http://chriskresser.com/coq10-vaccination-and-natural-treatment-for-migraines/

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/tyramine-and-migraines

http://migraineheadache-relief.blogspot.com/2010/02/turmeric-curcuminalzheimers-migraine.html

http://www.migrainesurvival.com/should-you-be-taking-magnesium

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9523054/

http://www.neurobiologix.com/v/Files/Methylation%20Deficiency%20by%20Dr.%20Kendal%20Stewart.pdf

http://traditionalcookingschool.com/2014/03/12/treating-migraines-with-red-raspberry-leaf /

Comments