Herbal Teas for Headaches (2) - Let’s Make Tea!

Making tea from bulk herbs is easier than you think.  Above all, it tastes much better!

HERBS

I would highly recommend you buy dried BULK herbs at a health food store with a bulk section, especially ORGANIC ones (unless you have fresh herbs in your garden).  First, you know what you are getting because I’m not really sure about the quality of herbs in tea bags.  You must have experienced that tea made from loose leaf tastes and smells much better than one from a tea bag.  I tried green tea bags from different brands, but it doesn’t taste anything like real green tea, so I am always wondering if manufactures use low grade tea leaves or herbs for tea bags.

Buying herbs in bulk also gives you many advantages.  You can find more varieties of herbs, and buy only the amount you want.  You can also pick the specific herbs most beneficial for your condition and blend them exactly the way you like.  Lastly, it definitely saves you a lot.

EQUIPMENT

You can find all kinds of tea pots and cups with an infuser in stores.  If you don’t have any of these, you can use a mug and strain the herbs with a strainer later.  I use a French coffee press for making more than one cup, but I usually use one very similar to this in the picture below from Zen Formosa (I don’t remember the brand of mine, since it’s been years since I bought it).  It’s even easier than making a cup of coffee.

INSTRUCTIONS

Amount

In the book “20,000 Secrets of  Tea – The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’sHealing Herbs” by Victoria Zak, a heaping tablespoon of bulk herbs is required, but I feel it’s too much. I normally use about ½ to 1 teaspoon, and it still comes out pretty strong depending on the herbs.  You might want to start with ½ teaspoon to get used to the taste.

If you use fresh herbs (softer and hard parts of a plant), cut the herbs into small pieces and use 2 tablespoons per cup.   

Steeping time

Pour boiled water to a pot or a cup, and cover.  Steep for 3-5 minutes for dried herbs, 7-10 minutes for softer parts of fresh herbs.  For hard parts of fresh herbs such as bark, twigs, seeds, roots, or rhizomes, put pieces of the herb in a pot, cover it with cold water, and bring the water to a boil.  Simmer for 1 hour.

Sugar/Sweeteners

The author of the book doesn’t encourage you to sweeten tea if you take herbal teas as healing remedies.  I agree.  I enjoy the earthy, bitter flavor of herbs, which tastes almost like medicine.  It’s psychological, but I feel like it works better that way.

Enjoy a blissful cup of tea!

Herbal Teas for Headaches (1) - Herbs

In the last post “Herbal Teas for Healing,” I talked about great healing benefits of herbal teas.  I’m going to introduce the herbs recommended for headaches, migraines and sinuses from the book "20,000 Secrets of  Tea – The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs” by Victoria Zak.  You will be surprised to find some of the herbs are already in your pantry!  In the next post, you will find my tips on how to make tea from bulk herbs, which I strongly recommend.

This guide is for your information only.  

Please see an herbalist if you need professional assistance.

HEADACHES/MIGRAINES

Feverfew “Manna for Migraines and Allergies” (headaches & migraines)

• Inhibits histamine release and relax blood vessels and nerves.   
• A liver stimulant – Liver weakness is associated with headaches.
• Other values: Anti-inflammatory; uterine stimulant; digestive stimulant; brings on menstruation; expels worms
• *Caution: Don’t use it if you take blood-thinning medication.

Lavender “The Herb of Harmony” (headaches & migraines)

• Calms and steadies your nerves.
• Other values: Analgesic; antibacterial; antiseptic; antispasmodic; carminative; nerve tonic

Milk Thistle/Silymarin “The Herb of Renewal” (headaches)

• Strengthens your liver – Liver deficiency is linked to recurring headaches.
• Helps to suppress the release of histamines
• Other values: antiallergenic; antitoxin; anti-aging

Rosemary “The Gentle Revitalizer” (headaches)

• Relaxes your nervous system
• Other values: Antiseptic; antioxidant; expectorant; decongestant; circulatory tonic; digestive tonic; astringent; carminative; antispasmodic; antidepressant; diuretic

Ginkgo, parsley, peppermint (topical use), and wood betony also work for headaches.

SINUS CONGESTION

Feverfew: See above

Thyme “The Knockout Infection Fighter”

• The most powerful antiseptic (antiviral, antibiotic, antifungal, antimicrobial) herb
• Other values: Antibacterial; antispasmodic; astringent; broncho-dilator; carminative; decongestant; diaphoretic; expectorant; emmenagogue; tonic; expels worms

Bayberry, fenugreek, goldenseal, and plantain (not the banana-like plant) also work.

Relieve Coughing with Essential Oils

I was just thinking, oh good, I didn’t get bad allergy this year.  I spoke too soon!  Within a few days, I started to get sore throat and the tight sensation in the chest  during night.  Now, I remember I had uncontrollable coughs in the middle of the night and slept with cough candies in the month for several nights last year.  This year, I did differently.

In the last post, I described properties of several essential oils.  One of the properties of eucalyptus essential oil is expectorant, and it's in commercial vapor rubs. 

First, I rinse the nasal cavity with a Neti pot with warm saline solution and 1 drop of eucalyptus oil at least twice a day.  (Update: I found 2 drops may be better although it causes sneezing.)  I made a salve with organic body butter I had and eucalyptus oil.  Before going to bed, I put it on the neck, chest, under my nose, and feet (see below).  The first night I woke up with coughs from tickles in the throat, I put the salve around the throat, and I could go back to sleep without more coughs. 

Next day, I found a recipe and made a different rub with coconut oil, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, lavender oil, and tea tree oil.  It is liquid because coconut oil melts in the warm room temperature (I didn’t care for the smell either, so I would use unscented body butter).  Again, I put it on the neck, chest, under my nose and feet. When my throat tickled at night, this time, I massaged gently with the oil along the throat, where it tickled.  The tickling stopped immediately, and I could go back to sleep.  Since then, I haven’t woken up at night from coughs.  The tightness in the chest is gone, but I still feel tickling in the throat at night, so I keep putting on the oil before going to bed.  

The reason I put the salve on the feet is that reflexes on the feet correspond to the parts of the body (reflexology).  The toes and the front and back of the upper feet correspond to sinuses, nose, throat, lungs, chest and lymph.  It also feels really good to massage feet.  I will discuss more about reflexology some other time.

Relieve Your Sinus Symptoms (2)

Have you tried a “Neti pot”?  When I lived in Austin, Texas, which the locals claim the “Allergy Capital of the World,” everybody was talking about the “Neti pots.”  It is a plastic or ceramic pot like a little tea pot. 

You put the spout into one of your nostrils, pour salt water solution in and let it out from the other nostril.  You will be surprised or confused if it is even possible when you first hear about it, so here is the video showing how to do it.  There is another squeeze bottle type, but I’ve never tried it.

Once you get used to using it, it’s very therapeutic, believe it or not.  I use it after I spend outside for a long time, clean a dusty place, or when I get a headache or a cold.  I try to use it as a preventative care.  If you are prone to sinus problems, it is more effective if you use it everyday. 

Also, inhaling steam may provide you a relief.  Put hot water in a bowl and a few drops of essential oil (eucalyptus, thyme, lemon or tea tree). Then, lean over the bowl with eyes closed.  Cover with a bath towel over your head and the bowl like a tent to fill with the aromatic steam.  Breathe through the nose and month. Make sure to lean comfortably and support your upper body with elbows without straining your back. 

Relieve Your Sinus Symptoms (1)

Now that it is warm (or even hot), and you started seeing dust of pollens on your car in the North Florida, I see more people suffering from allergies.  As I mentioned in the “Relieve Headache with Trigger Point Massage: Sinus Headache (1)” and “Relieve Headache with Trigger Point Massage: Sinus Headache (2)," massaging facial muscles can relieve your sinus problems.

There are four sinuses in the face; above the eyes, between the eyes and above the nose, the front part of the cheekbones, and in front of the ears and behind the earlobes.  Massage addressing these areas.

Above the eyes: Starting with the center of eyebrows, gently massage toward the temples with the fingertips.

Between the eyes and above the nose: From the inner corner of the eye, use short, deep strokes down the side of the nose.

Cheekbones: From the indentation on each side of the nostrils, press against the underside of the cheekbone moving toward the ear.  Kneed below your cheekbone between your fingers and thumb. 

In front of the ears: Starting behind the earlobes, apply gentle pressure with the fingertips in an up-and-down motion on each side of the head

Make sure to massage sternocleidomastoid as well.

Continue to read the Part 2 for more ways to relieve symptoms.   

Relieve Headache with Trigger Point Massage: Summary

The sources of my trigger point information is mainly from The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies, which is based on Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Volumes 1 and 2 by Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons.  This is like the Bible of Trigger Point Therapy.  Any information you find on trigger point therapy is all based on and adapted from these indispensable books. 

You can refer to: The Trigger Point & Referred Pain Guide, which I also introduced in my post, “Trigger Point Therapy: Part 1.”  This website has reproductions of the images (copyrighted) from the Travell & Simon books, and shows trigger points and their referred pain pattern.    

Here is the summary of the headaches I covered. 

Frontal Headache 

Crown Headache 

Temple Headache 

Back of Head Pain  

Sinus Pain (eye) 

Sinus Pain (cheek) 

Other Symptoms in Head and Neck (will take you to The Trigger Point & Referred Pain Guide) 

I hope you are able to relieve your symptoms yourself.

Relieve Headache with Trigger Point Massage: Sinus Headache (1)

If you have sinus pain, and the medicine doesn’t help, you may have trigger points in the masseter (MASS-uh-ter) muscles in the jaw.  The trigger points cause pain in the front of the face, under the eyes, and over the eyebrows, and even sinus drainage. They also cause pain in both upper and lower teeth, and deep in the ear.

masseter

The trigger points can be found at anywhere in the masseter, from the cheekbone to the bottom edge of the jaw, other than the ones indicated in the image.  The most effective way to massage is from the inside your mouth.  Put your thumb inside the mouth and knead the muscle between thumb and fingers.  If you have trigger points, massaging the masseter can be extremely painful, but don’t give up there.  Massage them as firmly as you can bear.  Continue to massage every day until you don’t feel pain any more. 

As you might guess by now, check the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) for trigger points.