Essential oils, like peppermint or lavender, may help alleviate a migraine or tension headache.
Almost half of peppermint oil is composed of menthol, which may also reduce the intensity of acute migraines.
Lavenderoil may help alleviate migraines.
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Consult your healthcare provider before starting the use of essential oils.
They should not be directly applied or ingested.
It’s been used for thousands of years for various health conditions.
Peppermint is often used as flavoring in foods and beverages.
Peppermint oil has also been used to treat headaches, especiallytension-key in headaches.
In addition, the participants randomly received either a skin system of peppermint oil or a placebo solution.
The participants recorded their pain intensity every 15 minutes for one hour.
The oil was applied to the forehead at headache onset and re-applied at 15 and 30 minutes.
Results were recorded four hours post-treatment.
There was a 56.2% improvement in the peppermint group vs. 54.3% improvement in the paracetamol group.
Those who had a combined treatment showed a 66.7% improvement.
These oils are absorbed through the skin and should not be applied liberally or for prolonged periods.
It’s important to know how much to use, the correct concentration, and the duration of treatment.
The oil is extracted from the flowers and is used either topically, orally, or by inhalation.
There is some scientific evidence (albeit limited) to establish its effectiveness.
A 2012 study of 47 participants withmigrainewere divided into two groups.
The other group (the control group) used liquid paraffin for 15 minutes.
These studies indicate that the short-term use of inhaled lavender in specific amounts seems to be well-tolerated and safe.
However, lavender oil is toxic if taken orally, and there are also some potential side effects.
Some of these may include:
Consult your healthcare provider before using essential oils during pregnancy.
It’s also not known whether it’s safe to use lavender while breastfeeding.
They may also interfere with the medications you are taking.
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