Headache

Remedies:

* Take clove, cinnamon and almond in equal quantities (around 1 teaspoon each) and grind together with a little water to make a paste. Apply paste on the forehead. A paste made of sandalwood powder can also be applied on the forehead.

* Oil massage on the scalp also relieves tension and headache. Sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil or ghee (clarified butter) can be used for massage.

* When not suffering from a cold, drink a teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water or fill the stomach completely with water.

* Take a few drops of ghee (clarified butter) on your palm. Mix 3 or 4

 pieces of saffron (kesar) in it, and rub it for two minutes. The saffron does not dissolve in the ghee, but its qualities are absorbed. Remove saffron and put two drops of this ghee in each nostril. · Dosage: Follow procedure twice a day.

* Mix 1 tablespoon of milk and half teaspoon of ginger powder and put one or two drops in each nostril twice a day. 

* Heat 1 teaspoon of almond oil. When it cools down, put two drops in each nostril.

* Alternating hot and cold compresses on the head also works well to reduce the swelling inside the head that causes many headaches.

* Breathing exercises are a known cure for headaches. Taking very deep breaths and then exhaling slowly may help.

* Boil some vinegar in water and place it in a bowl. Wrap a towel around the head and bend over the bowl. Inhaling the fumes will help unblock the sinuses and alleviate the headache

* Curtailing your intake of certain foods and easing up on alcoholic drinks, certain fizzy drinks, coffee, and cigarettes will help to reduce headaches.

Herbal Medicines:

Heena: The tender flowers of Henna should be rubbed to a pasty consistency and applied over the forehead for relief.

Jalebi: An easily available sweet, it is of great help in headache. Immerse 2 to 3 jalebis in a glass of warm milk for a few minutes, then drink the mixture once or twice a day.

Ayurvedic Remedies:

* Sootasekhara Rasa 1 tablet along with 3gm of Sitopaladi Churna, should be taken twice a day with a cup of warm milk. This resolves all routine headaches.

* Godanti Mishran, a readymade compound drug available in tablet form, can be taken orally twice a day with some lukewarm water.

* Pathyadi Quatham, an oral liquid, 15ml twice a day with equal water is also a good remedy.

* Shirshuladi Vajra Ras is very useful in general headache.

* Cephagraine tablet: 1 tablet thrice daily for 2 weeks along with cephagraine nasal drops 2 to 4 drops before sunrise give immediate relief even in cases of migraine.

* Vatahara Kashayam, an oral liquid, 2 tsp thrice a day with 4 tsp of water.

Diet: 

Diet is also an important component in the fight against headaches. Affected persons should avoid cold items like curd, ice creams, cold water, cold drinks and should not take bath in cold water, or get exposed to cold climatic conditions as this may aggravate the headache.