Herbs & Protocols for Headache & Migraine
While the etiology of headache and migraine can be a massive spectrum of possibilities, there are a couple of things I always consider when providing herbal support for folks dealing with these patterns here at our herbal apothecary in Salt Lake City, Utah.
First, I like to acknowledge that regardless of the cause, be it hormonal, circulatory, food sensitivities, or even an outdated reading glasses prescription, stress will always play a massive role in the initiation and mediation of the pattern. For most headache issues, the body has what it needs to regulate- unless the individual is under such a chronic level of stress, anxiety, worry, and strain that the body loses its ability to act the wise way it wants to.
So, my first response to these kinds of migraine patterns is to address stress. Where is it? What brings it on? How long has it been there? Where in the body is it held? What relieves it? By looking at overarching stress, we can find ways to make room for the body to do what it does best- care for itself. Traditional and spiritual herbalism approaches are rooted in a radical acceptance of body wisdom, and we try to carry this into everything we do and how we approach each and every presentation of disharmony in each and every unique person.
There are three ways that I address stress when clients are dealing with recurring headaches or chronic migraines and herbs: muscular and fascial tension, blood flow and cardiovascular health, expansive energy in the head, reserves of resilient and adaptive energy. Let’s look at each of these in turn and see how they directly work to ratchet down mean anxiety levels so that the person can find relief by their own inner wisdom.
Herbs for muscular & fascial tension in headaches and migraines
Even folks who never get headaches can succumb to them if the muscles of the face, jaw, neck, and back get tense enough. Similarly, long-term tension in these areas can cause the membranous tissues of the fascial layer to bind, stick, and contort which can easily cause pain in any part of the head. For this reason, and because a releasing of cranial musculature will often help an individual feel relief quicky, I start working with all headache and migraine sufferers on the muscular level.
There are countless herbs that act to release spasmatic muscles, lubricate fascial and connective tissues, move blood through stagnant areas, and help the person relax enough that the muscles can actually melt during stretching, progressive relaxation techniques, massage, acupuncture, and guasha.
My favorite, and the herb that tends to show up the most in the custom herbal formulas I write and craft for each of my clients, is California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). This beautiful desert flower grows so well where I live, and is one of my most cherished bioregional herbal allies. I can often grow a stand of California Poppy that will supply our apothecary for a full year- and I get to enjoy their neon-orange flowers during the hottest months of the year when other plants are just too hot and dry to stay blooming.
California Poppy is a celebrated and trusted anodyne and antispasmodic- an herb that helps relieve pain and release the tightness and spasm of muscles and connective tissues in the body. But there is so much more to why I always have this herb on hand in the clinic. First, the energetics of California Poppy aren’t as severe as many other pain-relieving and muscle-relaxing herbs which tend to be very hot or very cold and particularly stinky (think Valerian Root, Hops Flowers, and Corydalis). E. californica is nearly neutral in energetics relying not so much on heating or cooling in the body as in a profound sense of releasing, letting go, and lightening up. The Sun-like flowers of California Poppy are dazzling, and they show us that this plant brings in the moving, comforting, and all-good energy they carry. Headaches and migraines tend toward the cold and condensed energetics, but even when they appear as hot, sharp, and windy, this plant can be a great choice.
Speaking of California Poppy’s pain-relieving blessings, while this plant is called Poppy and is a true member of the Papaveraceae family, they do not have the same intoxicating effects as other kinds of Poppy nor do we worry about any kind of habit or addictive potential with this particular herb. That being said, all herbs of this potency can have unexpected effects and are best suggested by a qualified herbalist. What an herb will do for one person may not be the same for another person, and how an herb releases and relaxes in one body may be problematic in another.
My approach to headache and migraine patterns, then, begins with the inevitable tense and tight tissues that either cause or exacerbate the issue. While California Poppy isn’t always the correct or safe herb for each person, this is one plant I would never want to be without!
Herbs for cardiovascular health & blood pressure in headaches and migraines
Another crucial consideration when considering herbs for migraine and headache is the cardiovascular system. The head is the highest point in the body, and it’s essential that blood, oxygen, vital fluids, and vital energy can make it all the way up there with as much ease and efficacy as possible. We also want to consider the pressure of the cardiovascular system- both high and low blood pressure conditions can be the cause or aggressor in headache patterns in many people; happy heart, happy head!
When considering which cardiovascular herbs to work with for headaches, energetics and constitution become important. If blood pressure is high in a fire-type person we would choose specific herbs that would be very different from cardio-tonic herbs for a person with low blood pressure and a more earth or water-type constitution. Similarly, if energetics are mixed in one individual, we have to tread carefully to ensure we don’t aggravate this or other situations by driving the wrong herbs into the right part of the body.
When considering cardiovascular health and how it can initiate and mediate migraines, I often consider one of the following herbs depending on the individual person I’m working with. Chances are you’re familiar with at least one of these celebrated plant allies:
Hawthorn Leaves, Flowers, and Berries (Crataegus spp.; C. washingtonii where I live)
Turmeric Rhizomes (Curcuma longa)
Linden Leaves, Bracts, and Flowers (Tilia spp.; Tilia europaea and T. americana where I live)
These three plants represent broad energetic categories and all have a deep affinity with the cardiovascular system- they move with ease in to the heart and the peripheral vascular network and bring their powerful medicine there.
Herbs for the head
Expansive what? Yes- we want there to be a sense of more room in the head, especially for folks who have constricting, pulsing, or tension-based headache patterns. While we are not literally stretching out the skull and making more room for the brain, we’re cultivating a more energetic and spiritual sense of space, possibility, ability, and confidence in the individual.
Herbal allies that increase the flow of blood and vital energy into the head and beyond are often the plants I think about for this- and they become the drivers of the formulae I write for many clients. I will often combine these herbs in dui yao style with one being more stimulating, moving and opening while the other is more relaxing and releasing.
Herbs I commonly work with to attain this opening effect include:
Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)
Juniper Berry (Juniperus spp.; J. osteosperma & J. communis where I live)
Lavender Blossom (Lavandula angustofolia)
Sage Leaf (Salvia officinalis)
Again, each of these herbs tends to drive into the head, open space through aromatic diffusion, stimulation, or relaxation, and each has an affinity for specific temperaments of person and specific expressions of migraine and headache patterns.
Adaptogen herbs for stress headaches
Last but not least we must consider the role of stress, strain, and anxiety on the initiation and mediation of chronic headache and migraine patterns. Regardless of the deepest root of the issue, stress must be considered because it is the presence of excess stress that allows the pattern to establish and become problematic.
It is the nature of how I practice herbalism that every client I work with who has any chronic condition will receive some kind of stress support. Herbs in the nervine categories, both relaxing and stimulating, and of course our small but mighty collection of adaptogens, all support this work. We want to prioritize a foundation of herbal allies that help to protect us from the damaging effects of stress while cultivating resilience, adaptive reserves, vital force (qi, prana, mægen), and everyday centeredness in the self. These herbs, while not directly effective for headache and migraine patterns, get to the underlying patterns of stress, strain, and tension that can exacerbate an otherwise easily solved issue.
The particular adaptogen and supportive nervine and nootropic herbs I might choose for each client varies dramatically as I work with 12 adaptogens regularly and from that selection will add at least one nootropic herb and a driving nervine.
In my private clinical practice as an herbalist in Salt Lake City, I am fortunate to work with a variety of people who want to consider natural, gentle, effective, and life-affirming remedies through herbs. Our fully-stocked herbal apothecary and beautiful clinic add to the experience of connecting with the wisdom of the plant spirits as we navigate our wellness journeys.
If you’re interested in working with the plants in this way, I invite you to reach out to me for a consultation- or join us for one of our upcoming community classes on herbalism where we explore the plants, medicine making, plant spirit work, and more.
