Headaches are a pain (look at me being pun-ny) but there are plenty of all natural and holistic remedies that can give you relief without medicating with chemicals! These remedies are simple like holding a pencil in your mouth, and easily obtained from either your kitchen or the health foods store down the street. Having these on hand can prevent liver damage down the road, and can provide great, sometimes instant relief!
1. Traumeel is one of my go to holistic remedies. It can help with everything from muscle soreness to headaches, which is why I include it in my Holistic First Aid Kit. These pain relievers and anti-inflammatories are great for headaches and include Belladonna, Calendula, and Echinacea. Essentially, Traumeel acts like a holistic ibuprofen.
2. I first learned about Tiger Balm when I was playing a soccer tournament in Australia; I had strained a muscle in my back and it helped me to get back to playing quickly! The herbal formula generates heat- if you rub it on your temples during a headache it can ease the pain.
3. Cayenne is one of those kitchen spices that should always be in your Holistic First Aid Kit. It can help stop bleeding, but also relieve headache pain! Dilute a bit of the powder with water, dip a cotton swab (q-tip) in the solution and apply to inside of your nostrils. The heat from the capsaicin can be uncomfortable at first, but its anti-inflammatory properties can give you sometimes-instant headache relief.
4. Feverfew, despite its rather silly name, is a great herbal remedy for preventing headaches. The dried leaves are known for their ability to relieve spasms in muscle tissue as well as being an anti-inflammatory. There have been studies that show if you take feverfew as a supplement it can reduce the occurrence of migraines in migraine-prone individuals.
5. Truly the simplest remedy of all: hydrate! Especially in high altitudes, dehydration can lead to headaches because of fluctuations in fluid levels and electrolytes. Make sure to get the recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water a day (I drink more at altitude) to help prevent a headache, and hydrate as a headache starts to occur!
6. This sounds ridiculous, but place a pencil in between your teeth when you have a nasty headache. Many headaches are caused by clenching your jaw, and a pencil can help relieve the clench and pressure until the headache subsides. Just make sure not to bite too hard, pencil in your teeth is not fun!
7. Peppermint oil, applied by rubbing a drop or two into each temple and your forehead, is a delicious smelling headache remedy. The oil has a cooling effect and as you breathe deeply, can help headache pain subside.
Looking for more all natural remedies? Click here to view all of my remedy posts!
Do you have a go-to headache remedy? Let me know in the comments below!
Please note that I am not a physician nor a certified naturopath. These are remedies that have worked for me, consult a doctor.
