Herbal treatments for migraine: A systematic review of randomised‐controlled studies

Abstract

Herbal treatments are often used as a treatment for migraine. Therefore, an evaluation of their safety and efficacy is important. Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines, and Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing the risk of bias, a systematic literature review of randomised, controlled human trials assessing the effects of herbal treatments delivered as a single ingredient for the acute or prophylactic treatment of migraine were conducted. Studies were identified through electronic database searches on Medline (Pubmed), Cochrane Library, Scopus, and CINAHL. Nineteen studies were identified examining the effects on migraine of feverfew, butterbur, curcumin, menthol/peppermint oil, coriander, citron, Damask rose, chamomile, and lavender. Overall, findings on the efficacy of feverfew were mixed and there was positive, albeit limited evidence for butterbur. There were positive, preliminary findings on curcumin, citron, and coriander as a prophylactic treatment for migraine, and the use of menthol and chamomile as an acute treatment. However, the risk of bias was high for many studies. The results of this systematic review suggest that several herbal medicines, via their multifactorial physiological influences, present as potential options to enhance the treatment of migraine. However, further high‐quality research is essential to examine their efficacy and safety as a treatment for migraine.

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“…Feverfew has been used in traditional and folk medicine for the treatment of fever, cold, asthma, migraine headache, arthritis, women's health issues, inflammatory conditions, and so on (George et al, 2012;Pareek et al, 2011). Although the qualitative standard of many trials in the phytopharmacological field are less rigorous than the conventional pharmaceutical sector (Williamson, Liu, & Izzo, 2020), clinical evidence suggests that feverfew extract might have positive results in migraine prevention (Lopresti, Smith, & Drummond, 2020). Phytochemical studies have shown the presence of many active ingredients of feverfew, including sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoid glycosides, sesquiterpenes, and monoterpenes.…”

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) as a nutraceutical: Focus on the metabolic, analgesic, and antiinflammatory effects

“…Several herbal medicines, via their multifactorial physiological influences, represent potential options for the treatment of migraine (Lopresti, Smith, & Drummond, 2020). One of such remedies is ginger, which has shown very preliminary evidence of efficacy in the treatment (but not in the prevention) of mild migraine.…”

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“…Botanical drugs have been widely used in the treatment of migraine attacks ( Hou et al, 2017 ; Lopresti et al, 2020 ). Conioselinum anthriscoides “Chuanxiong” (Apiaceae; Chuanxiong rhizoma) (known as Chuanxiong rhizoma in Chinese) is used to treat migraine and cerebral ischemic stroke.…”