Taking aspirin or another pain reliever to halt a headache is a common daily activity in developed nations.   Many people don’t know that aspirin’s active ingredient is derived from a tree bark that’s been used for thousands of years in various parts of the world. Our ancestors employed numerous herbs with chemical properties that help to alleviate pain.

Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, the bark of the White willow tree has been used for pain relief.  It contains salicin, a chemical that was identified during the first half of the 1800s,  as the bark’s active ingredient.  Because of the time and expense required in extracting this compound, a synthetic version, salicylic acid was created in Germany.  Due to its side effects (ulcers in the intestinal tract and bleeding) a less harsh derivative, acetylsalicylic acid was named aspiring and sold as a pain reliever by Bayer.

Seeking to determine the effectiveness of local herbs, researchers at Griffith University in Australia recently published a report of the findings involving a study conducted for five years evaluating the properties of Lemon grass.  It found that plant does relieve migraines and other headaches.

Native Australians have used this herb as a traditional medicine.  The study was published in Evidence-based complementary and Alternative Medicine.  Lemon grass interferes with and stops human platelets from clumping together similar to the actions of aspirin.

Dr. Kelly Rogers, Professor Lyn Griffiths and Dr. Darren Grice were the lead researchers and identified a specific lemon grass extract, eugenol as the chemical possessing the aspiring like clot prevention effect.

Platelets stick together and form clumps that are essential for repairing wounds.  However, in other situations, their clumping is unwarranted, and can cause clots that lead to strokes, a life threatening situation.

“Headaches and migraines cause abnormal activities in our bodies, such as altering our serotonin levels and interfering with the normal function of our blood platelets,” Dr. Rice noted.  “The compound eugenol inhibits platelets clumping together and the release of serotonin.”

Serotonin, is a chemical found in large concentrations in the brain that regulates many bodily functions including mood, sleep, muscle contraction, appetite, learning, memory and plays a role in the development of migraines.

Source:  www.sciencealert.com.au/news

Australian researchers have determined that daily vitamin supplements produced a two-fold reduction in disability caused by migraine headaches.  Previous studies have found that CoQ10 and magnesium supplementation can help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines.

Researchers at the Genomoics Research centre in Brisbane have found that a gene that reportedly makes people susceptible to migraine attacks when it dysfunctions or has a mutation, leads to a higher level of the toxic amino acid homocysteine, known to increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

According to Professor Lyn Griffiths, “ These results provided compelling evidence that lowering plasma (blood) homocysteine levels via folic acid coupled with B6 and B12 vitamin supplementation improved health-related productivity and therefore quality of life for these patients.”

About 12 to 15 percent of people in the UK and US suffer from migraines, with more than twice as many women affected as men.

The headaches are usually preceded by flashes of light, blind spots, anxiety, or tingling in the arms or legs.  They usually experience a pounding sensation on one side of the head and have nausea, vomiting and extreme light and noise sensitivity between 4 and 72 hours.  The symptoms can been severe and debilitating.

The scientists recruited 52 people diagnosed with migraine with aura.  They were randomly given either the vitamin supplements-a daily dose of 2mg of folic acid, 400 micrograms of b12 and 25 mg of B6, or a placebo for 6 months.

Those receiving the vitamins experienced a 39 percent reduction of their homocsyteine levels, which was statistically significant compared to the subjects receiving the placebo.

They also experienced a reduction in the prevalence of disability caused by the migraines from 60 per cent at the study’s launch to 30 per cent after 6 months- a fifty per cent reduction.  There was no reduction that occurred in the group receiving the placebo.

The vitamin group participants also experienced a reduction in the severity of the pain and the frequency of the head ache, while the placebo group remained unchanged.

Professor Griffiths noted, “The success of our trial… has shown that safe, inexpensive vitamin supplements can treat migraine patients.”

Source:

 Pharmacogentices and Genomics: In press

“The effects of vitamin supplementation and MTHFR (C677T) genotype on homeocysteine-lowering and migraine disability.