Just about everyone during their life time feels the throb of a headache. A headache can range from just a slight dull ache, to a pounding, sinus crushing, temple popping period of intense pain. Fortunately, there are a variety of herbal and natural headach remedies that have demonstrated headache treatment success in clinical testing.
Before you start to treat a headache, it is very important to know what type of headache you have.
There are two main types, primary, and secondary.
Primary headaches are the typical type of headaches. These are when the main condition is the headache and related head pain. Primary headaches include migraines, tension headaches, dehydration headaches, cluster headaches, etc. Usually, a primary headache is not dangerous, but it can be very painful, and make life nearly unbearable. But, what makes it primary is the focus of the condition is the headache itself, not some other condition. So, treating the headache will treat the problem, so to speak.
Then there are secondary headaches. These are headaches that are the result of some underlying health issue. They are usually extremely dangerous, and cannot be cured or treated with normal natural OR synthetic remedies. For example, a brain tumor can put pressure on the cranium, and result in extreme headaches. Also, a brain hemorrhage can do the same. A severe hit to the head can cause head trauma, such as water on the brain, or other inflammation that will cause a severe headache. These are all very urgent medical issues, and some aspirin or lavender won’t be effective in treating these problems. Only a doctor or medical professional will know how to treat such underlying causes, and eliminate the source of the headache.
So, assuming you have a primary headache, here are some natural headache remedies that are used to treat them:
Feverfew – This can be a great herb for treating a migraine. Feverfew reduces the frequency of migraines, the time they last, and the amount of pain the cause. Best to take feverfew every day if you want the migraine relief. This is because feverfew works as a preventative step… it won’t treat a migraine once it is throbbing.
Peppermint oil – Use a 10% peppermint essential oil solution, and gently apply it to the forehead. This can relieve the pain and possibly the duration of a tension or dehydration headache.
Tiger Balm – This is a combination of several essential oils, and it has a similar application and effect as peppermint oil. It is sold over the counter at many health food and supplement stores, or it can be found online. It has also proven effective to relieve headache pain.
Melatonin – It turns out this supplement has some studies that demonstrate it will decrease the amount of monthly migraines a person will have. It needs to be taken every day, but it can be a good natural migraine remedy.
There are several other great herbal headache remedies , but these are some of the most effective for stopping migraines and tension headaches.