Got a Headache? These 6 Herbal Teas Will Help Kick It to the Curb

Registered dietitian and neuronutritionist Melanie Murphy Richter, MS, RDN, says a heat cup of tea is usually a nice at-home treatment for serving to a pesky headache go away. “Sure teas can have anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing advantages that may assist alleviate complications,” Richter says. However not all brews are created equal on the subject of relieving complications; there are some blends which can be much more efficient than others resulting from their distinctive natural properties.

Forward, Richter reveals one of the best tea for complications and what makes these brews so efficient in serving to cut back your signs so you may get again to feeling tea-rrific very quickly.

The very best drink for a headache

Apart from plain old style water, tea is without doubt one of the greatest drinks for complications. Richter says teas might help relieve complications in quite a lot of methods. For starters, she says that teas with a small quantity of caffeine—we’re talkin’ lower than 100 milligrams—might help enhance blood stream within the mind, in any other case often called a vasodilating impact. This response might help improve the effectiveness of pain-relieving drugs. “In actual fact, most migraine-specific headache medicine has a specific amount of caffeine included for these very causes,” Richter says.

Take note, nonetheless, that having an excessive amount of caffeine can have the other impact and probably set off complications. (Do not give up caffeine chilly turkey should you’re a heavy caffeine drinker, which might trigger caffeine withdrawals and migraines. Gradual and regular wins the race, fam.)

Natural teas (which usually haven’t got caffeine) may assist do away with complications by concentrating on numerous different causes of complications and migraines. The specifics simply depend upon what substances are within the teas. For instance, Richter says teas with sure anti-inflammatory herbs and antioxidants like polyphenols (a compound discovered in lots of vegetation) might help cut back the severity and recurrence of complications (since extra irritation is usually a headache set off). If stress and nervousness are taking part in a job within the onset of stress complications and migraines, Richter recommends choosing teas with relaxation-boosting advantages (assume chamomile or lemon balm) to quell these signs. Alternatively, sure sorts of natural teas (like peppermint) may assist loosen up the pinnacle and neck muscular tissues which may be contributing to stress or sinus-related complications.

Dehydration can be an enormous headache set off—and one thing that tea might help alleviate. “Tea can depend in the direction of our general water consumption; natural teas can contribute to general hydration standing and subsequently are an ideal adjunct remedy for headache administration,” Richter says. Tea might help enhance electrolytes, which matches hand in hand with hydration. “Electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium are important for correctly using hydration within the physique. The common consumption of tea can’t solely assist to maintain us hydrated, but it surely can also contribute sure electrolytes to make sure our cells can take in the water higher,” she says.

Is tea good or dangerous for migraine?

Tea is nice for migraines for most of the identical causes that it is good for complications: plenty of the compounds in tea (like caffeine and antioxidants) might help cut back migraine signs.

Older analysis used to recommend that the caffeine in tea was a possible migraine set off. However a research printed in 2023 within the journal Scientific Experiences discovered that there was no causality between ingesting tea and migraines¹. (Translation: There isn’t any proof that ingesting tea causes migraines.) In actual fact, the caffeine in tea might help your migraines.

That mentioned, do not anticipate tea to be a miracle remedy for migraines, which might be extremely debilitating. There isn’t any disgrace in taking meds, making an attempt sure yoga poses, dunking your face in ice water, or every other helpful instruments you discover useful to deal with or handle migraines.

6 greatest teas for complications and migraines

1. Peppermint

Richter says peppermint tea ought to be your best choice for assuaging a headache, particularly should you’re coping with stress, sinus, or migraine-related signs. “One of many final teas for any kind of headache is peppermint,” she says.

In keeping with Richter, peppermint might help regulate the circulatory system by growing blood stream to assist relieve headache signs. “Peppermint can have a vasodilating impact on the circulatory system², which signifies that it may possibly assist widen blood stream to the mind. This makes it particularly useful for any kind of headache the place blood stream is restricted,” she says. Plus, peppermint additionally incorporates menthol, which Richter says might help loosen up the muscular tissues³ of the pinnacle to assist alleviate complications.

2. Ginger

In case you are inclined to expertise nausea or an upset abdomen resulting from headache ache, Richter says sipping on ginger tea might help. “Ginger is an anti-inflammatory herb and may relieve nausea, which is a symptom of migraines,” she says. Ginger incorporates an energetic compound referred to as gingerol that analysis exhibits can probably modulate serotonin receptors within the GI tract⁴, thus lowering the alerts that set off nausea and vomiting.

3. Chamomile

In case you’re coping with stress or sinus complications, Richter says chamomile could also be your cup of tea as it may possibly act as a gentle muscle relaxant. In the meantime, should you’re experiencing complications related to indigestion, chamomile can be utilized as a digestif to assist enhance digestion. And if complications are preserving you awake at evening, Richter says the “gentle sedative-like high quality” of chamomile tea can probably aid you loosen up right into a slumber.

4. Lemon Balm

If nervousness is triggering your complications, Richter recommends lemon balm tea. “Lemon balm is very useful for lowering nervousness⁵ that may contribute to stress complications or migraines,” she says. “Lemon balm can cut back muscle spasm linked to complications,” she says.

5. Lavender

Just like lemon balm tea, Richter says lavender tea is good if nervousness or stress are contributing to your complications. “Lavender has been used for hundreds of years as a leisure herb. It may be particularly useful for lowering stress and lowering cortisol,” she says. This may be significantly useful for treating migraines or stress complications that may enhance cortisol ranges.“Due to its calming qualities, lavender may aid you go to sleep and keep asleep, which might help you get better from complications extra shortly,” she provides.

6. Feverfew

In keeping with Richter, ingesting feverfew tea—which comes from a flowering plant within the daisy household—commonly might help stave away complications. “When used extra commonly, feverfew might help cut back the frequency, severity and recurrence of migraines⁶ by inhibiting the discharge of prostaglandins and serotonin, each of which might exacerbate migraines,” she says. The tea additionally incorporates antioxidants that assist cut back oxidative stress within the physique, which might be useful in lowering irritation associated to migraines, Richter says.

How a lot tea do you have to drink to alleviate complications?

In keeping with Richter, one to 2 cups of tea a day is an efficient start line, however this may differ from individual to individual. Tea (significantly the caffeine-free sort) might be consumed nearly anytime, with or with out meals. But when sleeping off a headache is the purpose, Richter recommends sipping your tea nearer to bedtime. “Drink sure teas like chamomile or lavender teas nearer to bedtime as a result of they’re prone to make you sleepy,” she says. Alternatively, teas with larger ranges of caffeine—like inexperienced tea or matcha—ought to be consumed earlier within the day.

When making ready your cup of tea, Richter says it’s greatest to make it plain and easy—no added sugar or cream, fam. “Ideally, you must drink your tea with out sugar. Sugar might be an unbiased set off for complications. And for some—even these with out an intolerance—dairy may set off irritation. For one of the best outcomes, drink tea with out both sugar or dairy,” she says.

When to get skilled assist for complications

Though tea is usually a nice at-home treatment for assuaging gentle headache signs, Richter factors out that should you get complications extra ceaselessly than regular, or in case your complications get extra painful, it’s greatest to speak to a health-care skilled, as it could be an indication of a extra vital situation. Richter additionally recommends seeing a health-care practitioner about your complications if:

• Over-the-counter of other cures aren’t serving to
• You might be ceaselessly sick (dizziness or vomiting) on account of your complications
• Complications are considerably impacting your means to carry out regular, every day actions
• You might be experiencing aura complications, which affect imaginative and prescient and eyesight
• You’ve gotten an underlying well being situation and sure drugs would possibly intervene with managing different well being situations

Unwind for the evening with this dreamy lavender latte drink: