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5 Herbs for Headaches

Are there herbs that are known as headache remedies? Following the thought of herbs for pain relief I thought I would go hunting for which specific herbs were known as remedies for headaches.

Unlike the list of kitchen herbs with analgesic properties in the previous post not all of the herbs in this list are used in cooking.

Feverfew

While not a kitchen herb, feverfew has been used for a long time as a headache remedy. A study published in 1997 (Palevitch, Earon and Carasso) showed that feverfew significantly reduced pain, nausea and sensitivity to noise and light.
The easiest way to get feverfew is probably by buying a supplement. One of the most popular feverfew products for use with migraine headaches is Migrelief. This product contains feverfew, magnesium and Vitamin B2. It is intended to be used regularly as both a preventative and to reduce the severity of attacks.

Peppermint

Peppermint has been used for hundreds of years for headache relief. In 1879 the British medical journal Lancet reported that pepperment oil helped relieve headache. There are many different ways of using peppermint. A simple cup of peppermint tea can help some headaches.
Peppermint essential oil can be used in a variety of ways. Do not use it undiluted on your skin.

• Break it down in equal parts with extra virgin olive oil and massage into temples, jaws and the back of the neck. This is useful for tension headaches.
  
• Add about 10 drops of peppermint essential oil to a small pot of hot water. Use it as a steam treatment and inhale the peppermint from the steaming water. This can be good for relieving a headache from sinus pressure.
• Add 10 - 15 drops of peppermint essential oil to a warm bath and relax in the warmth, inhaling the peppermint as you do. This can sometimes bring relief to a headache.

Ginkgo Biloba

This herb is known to improve circulation. It is thought that it helps reduce the pain of headaches by encouraging oxygen delivery. It is also known to help reduce inflammation. This can help with some headaches.

The best way to obtain this herb is with a standardized supplement.

Cayenne Pepper

This is one remedy for headache that you might have in the kitchen. Be careful because to much of it can cause stomach upsets. It is thought that the stimulating effect of cayenne affects the blood flow in some way and helps ease headaches and migraines.

Used in the form of a nasal spray it is sometimes used as a treatment for cluster headaches.
It is possible to put the spice in to empty capsules or buy a standardized supplement product.

Butterbur

Butterbur is a herb that has had quite a number of controlled studies done on it in relation to migraine prevention. Each trial showed that treatment with butterbur resulted in at least a 50% reduction of migraine attacks by more than two thirds of all patients in the trials. Details of these studies can be found at butterbur research.
There are a number of butterbur products on the market, perhaps a soft gel capsule might be the most convenient way of using this herb.

If you are unsure of whether it is appropriate for you to use any herbal treatment talk to a health professional who is knowledgeable about the use of herbs.

To a headache free life

Jocelyn

17 Kitchen Herbs for Pain Relief

What options are there for pain relief when regular pain killers don't work for your pain? That is the question I have been contemplating recently. The question was sparked after talking to a couple of people who found that sometimes the pain killers just don't work.

Because I have found herbs to be very useful for all kinds of ailments in the past I thought it would be interesting to see how many culinary herbs and spices might have a pain relieving component.
There are other herbs that are not used in the kitchen that also have pain relieving function but I wanted to stick to those herbs and spices that people could reasonably find either already in their kitchen or easily buy in the supermarket.

All of the herbs in this list are known to have an analgesic factor. According to Wikipedia the word analgesic means without pain. Of course just because a herb has an analgesic factor does not mean that a cup of herbal tea for example will necessarily ease a particular pain. However, it can be useful to have some idea of the wide variety of herbs that do have this function.

Each of these herbs also has many other functions as well. Many of them are also antibacterial, anti spasmodic, anti viral, anti fungal or anti inflammatory.

The List

• Allspice
• Bay Laurel
• Caraway Seeds
• Cardamon
• Chamomile
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Coriander
• Fennel
• Ginger
• Marjoram
• Nutmeg
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Turmeric

I found a great web site that has loads of information about different herbs and spices. It includes common uses and information on how to use them. This page will take you to the list of analgesic herbs for natural pain relief.

The only ones in the list that I have personally tried are rosemary, sage and peppermint although I used mint instead. I did find that they helped me. All I did was use 1 teaspoon of dried herb in a cup of boiling water and let it steep for a while. Use a tea pot or an infuser in a cup.

To a pain free, healthy life

Jocelyn

Egg Membrane for Healing Wounds back in 1905

On the topic of using eggshell membrane for wounds, I came across an article that was published in the New York Times July 1, 1905.

The article is reporting that at a session of the Therapeutical association of Paris, a Dr Amat gave a lecture on the use of the membrane of eggs in treating wounds.

The article reports briefly on two of his cases. One was a girl with a burn on her foot and the other of a forty year old man with a large leg ulcer. Both cases had good recovery with the use of egg membrane.

The method he used with both these cases was to spread the wound with six or eight pieces of the egg membrane, cover that with tin foil and cover that with dry antiseptic bandages. The bandages and foil were removed after four days. The result was that the membrane had partly grown into the tissues and that had caused good skin to grow.

He reported that this process helps wounds to heal very well and leaves little scarring.

Here is a link to the full New York Times article that I read.

I thought it was very interesting that this was a treatment that was being used successfully over 100 years ago. Particularly so as in the late 1990's experiments were done as to the efffectiveness of egg membrane as a dressing in skin graft donor sites. The results of these tests were that of the dressings tested the egg membrane gave the quickest healing time.

The limited size of the membrane was a problem that would need to be overcome. However the properties of pain relief, wound protection, promotion of healing and low cost that were observed with using egg membrane were considered to be of great advantage.


If you are looking for information on all things to do with eggs try this book, Egg Bioscience and Biotechnology. It is really a comprehensive reference that covers all the components of the egg and their known bioactive compounds. The information is organized according to the parts of the egg: egg shell and membranes, albumen and yolk. It includes information on egg shell membrane as a biological dressing for skin injuries.
The focus in the book is mainly on biologically active substances derived from egg components and their potential uses. Some of the properties include anti-microbial, anti-adhesive, immunomodulatory, anti-cancer, anti-hypertensive and anti-oxidant.

Modern science sometimes validates some of the knowledge and treatments that have been around for a long, long time. It is satisfying to find instances of this especially when it is using something that most people can easily access and use for a variety of uses.

Jocelyn

My Egg Shell Membrane Burn Story

On 13th July, 2009 I wrote an article on this blog titled 6 tips Using Egg shell membrane. It has been quite a popular article. I have been surprised at how many people have been searching for information on uses for eggshell membrane. Sometimes it is also called egg shell lining or egg shell skin.

I have been using eggshell membrane on all sorts of little sores or scratches lately and it always does a good job. The story that follows is the first time I have used it on a burn. I was so impressed with the results that I wanted to share them.

Last week my husband burnt his finger on a soldering iron.
His first initial first aid was to spread kefir on it. This took the initial pain from it. Kefir by the way is a fermented milk drink.

For the first few days the burn was covered with its own blister. Yesterday the blisters burst and the raw skin was exposed and was very painful.
I covered both the burns with egg shell membrane and covered that with a band aid to make sure that it would stay there all night.
By morning the smaller of the burns was practically healed over. The other needed more membrane applied. Instead of throwing the morning egg shells away I placed them in a covered cup and kept them in the fridge in order to have a supply of membrane throughout the day. In this way it was easy to put a new application on each time it needed replacing.

When you put the egg membrane on a sore it sticks to the damaged area as it dries. It will then stay in place for as long as it is kept dry. However when it is on your hands then with normal hand washing it will need replacing a couple of times during the day.

It is still a little sensitive and there is the tiniest bit that is not healed over. I will put another application of egg shell membrane on tonight and at the rate it has been healing during the day expect it to be fully healed over by morning.

If you have a story of using egg shell membrane for healing something share it with us by leaving a comment.

Be in good health
Jocelyn

Do You Know These Surprising Benefits of Eating Eggs?

Check out these benefits of eating eggs.

Weight Loss

• There have been some studies that show that eating eggs can be a great help in losing weight. One study by the Rochester Center for Obesity Research discovered that a breakfast of eggs helps to reduce calorie intake for the day by at least 400 calories. One possible reason for this is that with an egg breakfast you don't get hungry so soon, thereby avoiding the trap of snacking on junk food during the day.
  
  
• Another study from Louisiana State University compared the weight loss results of women who had 2 eggs for breakfast with women who ate a bagel breakfast of similar calories. Over an eight week period the women having 2 eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight and had an 83% greater reduction in waist circumference. They also reported greater improvements in their energy levels.
  

Breast Cancer Protection

• Another interesting piece of research discovered that women who ate at least six eggs each week reduced their risk of getting breast cancer by 44% compared to women who ate two eggs or less each week.

Eyes, Skin and Hair

• Egg yolks contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants are better absorbed by the body when they come from eggs rather than vegetables. They protect the eyes from ultraviolet rays, help guard against macular degeneration and may also help to lower the risk of developing cataracts.
  
  
• The high sulphur content along with the large variety of vitamins and minerals found in eggs help hair and nails to be stronger and healthier.

Eggs have long been one of my favorite staples. My most common breakfast is 2 eggs on toast. With all the good things about eggs I don't plan on changing that any time soon.

Enjoy your food
Jocelyn

3 Types of Nutrients found in Eggs

Eggs are one of nature’s powerhouse. As well as being packed with essential nutrients they are also economical. For the nutrients in them they are one of the cheapest packages available in the supermarket.

1. Protein – A medium egg has about 6.5 grams of protein but only 70 – 85 calories. That makes it easy to get protein in a low calorie way.
   
2. Vitamins – Some of the essential vitamins in an egg include:
   Vitamin B2 - needs to be obtained each day, cannot be stored.
   Vitamin B12 – needed for the brain and nervous system and metabolism
   Choline – part of the B group of vitamins. Essential for the brain.
   Vitamin A – Only found in the yolk and needed for eyes, skin, bones, immune function
   Vitamin D – One of the few food sources, only in the yolk.
   Vitamin E – Only found in the yolk. It is an antioxidant
   
   
3. Minerals – Minerals are vital and must be obtained from our food. Amongst others these will be found in eggs:
   Iron – Necessary for the blood
   Zinc – Only found in the yolk and needed for growth, sexual function and immune system.
   Phosphorus – Required by every cell in the body
   Magnesium -
   Iodine – needed for the thyroid
   Selenium – an antioxidant

This short list is not by any means the total list of nutrients found in eggs. They do in fact contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral that is needed. Vitamin C is about the only vitamin not found in eggs.

Enjoy your eggs as they are packed full of goodness and will help you in your efforts to maintain a healthy diet.

Jocelyn