Discover the best tea for headaches, tension headaches, and migraine relief.
These herbal drinks will clear your head ASAP.
(Or pour it over ice and youve got the perfect summer beverage.)
Thebenefits of drinking teaare many, so it honestly shouldnt surprise you that there are even tea for headaches.
Certain teas can have anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing benefits that can help alleviate headaches, Richter says.
Richter says teas can help relieve headaches in a variety of ways.
a registered dietitian and neuronutritionist
This reaction can help enhance the effectiveness of pain-relieving medications.
Keep in mind, however, that havingtoo much caffeinecan have the opposite effect and potentially trigger headaches.
(Dontquit caffeinecold turkey if youre a heavy caffeine drinker, which can cause caffeine withdrawals and migraines.
Slow and steady wins the race, fam.)
The specifics just depend on what ingredients are in the teas.
Dehydration is also a big headache triggerand something that tea can help alleviate.
Tea can help boost electrolytes, which goes hand in hand with hydration.
Electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium are essential for properly utilizing hydration in the body.
Is tea good or bad for migraine?
a registered dietitian and neuronutritionist
Older research used to suggest that the caffeine in tea was a potential migraine trigger.
But a study published in 2023 in the journalScientific Reportsfound that there wasno causality between drinking tea and migraines1.
(Translation: Theres no proof that drinking tea causes migraines.)
In fact, thecaffeine in tea can help your migraines.
That said, dont expect tea to be a miracle cure for migraines, which can be incredibly debilitating.
6 best teas for headaches and migraines
1.
One of the ultimate teas for any throw in of headache is peppermint, she says.
This makes it especially helpful for any key in of headache where blood flow is restricted, she says.
Gingeris an anti-inflammatory herb and can also relieve nausea, which is a symptom of migraines, she says.
Lemon Balm
If anxiety is triggering your headaches, Richter recommendslemon balm tea.
Lemon balmis especially helpful forreducing anxiety5that can contribute to tension headaches or migraines, she says.
Lemon balm canreduce muscle spasmlinked to headaches, she says.
Lavender has been used for centuries as a relaxation herb.
It can be especially helpful for reducing stress and reducing cortisol, she says.
How much tea should you drink to relieve headaches?
Tea (particularly the caffeine-free kind) can be consumed virtually anytime, with or without food.
But if sleeping off a headache is the goal, Richter recommends sipping your tea closer to bedtime.
Ideally, you should drink your tea without sugar.
Sugar can be an independent trigger for headaches.
And for someeven those without an intolerancedairy can also trigger inflammation.
For the best results, drink tea without either sugar or dairy, she says.
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9 Aug. 2023, doi:10.1038/s41598-023-40171-z
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The distinctive role of menthol in pain and analgesia: Mechanisms, practices, and advances.Frontiers in molecular neurosciencevol.
5 Oct. 2022, doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.1006908
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The Effectiveness of Ginger in the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy and Chemotherapy.Integrative medicine insightsvol.
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