Use Herbal Remedies for Headaches

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 by: David Victor
Tags: headaches, herbal remedies, health news

(NewsTarget) Headaches are one of the most common ailments people experience. It is estimated that 50 million people seek medical attention for headaches every year in the US alone and over $500,000,000 is spent annually on headache medicine. There are many herbal remedies for headaches that can help you without taking chemical based medicines.

The two most common types of headache are tension headaches which are caused by muscular tension and headaches caused by a constriction of blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. A few of the common causes are stress, poor posture, caffeine, eye strain, low blood sugar, allergies, sinusitis, and tiredness. There are also more severe problems that can cause headaches, but they are far less common. It is estimated that 90% of all headaches are tension headaches.

There are headache remedies from virtually every school of medicine including Chinese Herbalism, Ayurveda and Aromatherapy. Each remedy seeks to help you get rid of the pain using natural ingredients. Many of the remedies below have multiple uses and most are used in more than one school of alternative medicine.

Traditional Chinese Herbalism recommends using ginger for headaches. You can eat a small piece of fresh ginger or make a ginger tea. You can find ginger in most health food stores.

Ayurveda (the traditional system of medicine in India) offers a couple common remedies for headaches. The first is to soak a cloth in warm mustard oil and apply directly to your forehead to relieve the pain. The second remedy is to put coriander seeds in boiling water and inhale the steam created by this mixture. This is often used to relieve sinus related headaches.

If you want to try an aromatic remedy, there are several headache cures from the Aromatherapy school of medicine. For tension headaches, lavender is used to relax away your pain. You can message lavender oil directly into your temples or place a drop or two at the base of your nose. You may also want to try inhaling peppermint oil steam similar to the coriander seed remedy talked about above or take a bath with relaxing scents like chamomile. The idea is to soothe away your pain with pleasant smells.

There are many more herbal remedies for headaches. Herbal teas like peppermint, chamomile, rose hip, and more can soothe away a tension headache. Another common herbal remedy for tension headaches is valerian root. You can take capsule supplements or drink valerian root tea, but beware that it may make you drowsy.

These are just a few of the herbal remedies for headaches you can try. In general, these are so much better for you than popping pills and in most cases much more pleasant. Who wouldn`t want a soothing bath or warm cup of tea?

Resources:
http://www.holisticonline.com/
http://www.holisticchineseherbs.com/
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD

About the author

David Victor is a health and fitness enthusiast who enjoys learning about all aspects of health and sharing that information with others through writing. He maintains a health and fitness website called Sassafras Station and an associated blog at http://www.sassafrasstation.com/blog