Treatment of Migraines With Natural Herbs

Treatment of Migraines With Natural Herbs

Migraine is severely painful headache, which is often preceded by warning signals - tingling hands and feet, nausea, vomiting, white spots and increased sensitivity to light and sound. This heavy and piercing headache can last for hours and sometimes - days.

Migraine is a result of dilation of blood vessels and release of chemicals from nerve fibers. When you have a headache, artery, which is located on the external side of the skull, expands and you feel pain and inflammation. In this situation, the sympathetic nervous system responds by nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. This leads to reduced blood circulation (cold hands and feet) and increased sensitivity to sound and light.

What is the cause of migraines?

Unfortunately, the exact cause of this disease is not yet known. It is believed that some biochemical reactions (confusing signals) unlock it.

Here are some of the possible reasons:

• allergy and allergic reactions
• noise, odors, lights or perfumes
• physical / emotional stress
• irregular sleep
• smoking / smoke exposure
• skipping meals, fasting
• alcohol
• fluctuations in menstrual cycle
• taking pills for birth control
• hormonal fluctuations during menopause
• severe stress and tension
• foods containing tyramine (red wine, smoked fish, chicken livers, figs)

 Other foods causing migraine:
chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, avocado, bananas, citrus fruits, onions, dairy products, fermented and pickled foods

Migraine - symptoms

An interesting fact is that the symptoms of migraine can occur immediately prior to the actual headache, during and after it.

Some of the most characteristic symptoms are:

• moderate, severe pain - usually on one side of the head
• severe throbbing pain in the head
• increasing pain for physical activity
• inability to perform daily duties
• nausea / vomiting
• extreme sensitivity to light and sound

Women, suffering from migraine may have different premonitions, also called warning symptoms, which may occur several hours or days before the headache. It can be expressed as too much energy, enthusiasm, appetite for sweets, thirst, drowsiness, irritability or depression.

Migraine phases

Migraine attack can be divided into four phases:

1.Warning phase - it happens to half of people, suffering from migraine. You may feel irritable, depressed, tired, experiencing hunger. You may experience these feelings for hours, even days, before the headache.

2. Aura phase – it can include changes in vision: a flickering, jagged arc of light, "see" pics from the past or hallucinations, skin sensations, language problems,

3. Attack phase - the attack of a migraine can last for a few hours to several days. The most important is the pain you feel:

1. it usually starts above the eyes
2. typically affects one side of the head, or can strike the entire head. It can  affect the lower face and the neck.
3. it has a throbbing intensity
4.  it can get worse if you become physically active

4. Resolution phase – during which headache gradually disappears. At this time you may feel tired, irritable, depressed, experiencing difficulties in concentration. Also you may feel:

1. extreme tiredness
2. sluggishness
3. confusion
4. head pain that flares up when you lean over
5. experience a rush of blood to the head

Rare types of migraines:

1.Menstrual migraine.
The symptoms of this kind of migraine were similar to normal, but migraine attacks are associated with the menstrual cycle. There are 2 such types:

a/pure menstrual migraine (only during the cycle)

b/migraine related to the menstrual cycle (appears around the menstrual cycle, but can also occur on other days of the month). Treatment for these two types is the same as for any other type of migraine.

2.Stomach migraine

It occurs most often among children. Instead of headache, they feel abdominal pain which lasts for several hours. During each attack, the headache is weak, or missing. It can be observed nausea, retching or other symptoms. An interesting fact is that children who have suffered from abdominal migraine, during teenage years, develop common migraine.

3. Ocular migraines (also known as a retinal migraine).

It causes temporary vision loss of part or whole eye. It can be supported with or without headache. Each attack happens at the same eye. During this migraine are not observed any serious problems with the eyes, and vision returns to normal.
Attention! If you get a sudden loss of vision, see a doctor immediately! There are various reasons for this and they must be excluded before the ocular migraine can be diagnosed.

4.Hemiplegic migraine (very rare).

Besides severe headache, symptoms include temporary paralysis of the body and weakness. This may take several hours or even days before fade. That’s why  this kind of attack can be mistaken with stroke. Also can appear and other symptoms - dizziness, double vision, visual problems, hearing problems and difficulty speaking. Important! You have these symptoms, visit a doctor immediately, you may have symptoms of a stroke!

5.Basilar type migraine.

Basilar artery is located in the back of the head, and this makes us think, that this type of migraine has occurred because of a problem with the basilar artery. And the exact causes are not known, yet. Symptoms include headache at the back of the head, double vision, dizziness, tinnitus, slurred speech and others. Caution - in this type of migraine it’s possible increased risk of stroke!

Folk recipes and herbs for migraine

St. John's wort (infusion)

Let one tablespoon of the herb to boil in a cup of water (250 ml.) for about 15 minutes. Strain and drink half a cup, 3 times a day.

Yarrow (tea)

Take a tablespoon of the herb and place it in a pot with 300ml boiling water.  Let it for 10 minutes to stand and strain. Drink while tea is hot, but not more than 2 cups a day.

Common balm (tincture)

Take half a tablespoon of herb and pour a glass of hot water over it.. Leave it for about 30 minutes. Take one or two tablespoons, 6 times a day.

Primrose (tea)

Take a tablespoon blossoms of primrose and pour a glass of hot water. Leave it for about 15 m, strain. Drink it while it is hot, but not more than 2 cups a day.

Valerian (root)

Take one table spoon of ground valerian roots, pour 250 ml. water and leave for 15 minutes to boil. Remove from heat and leave to stand for about 10 minutes. Take one tablespoon, three times a day.

Lime blossom (infusion)

Place a tablespoon of lime blossom in 250 ml. water to boil for about ten minutes. Strain and drink several times a day.

Rosemary

Take some dry leaves of rosemary and pour a cup of hot water, cover with a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain and drink several times a day.