Take Two Marigolds And Call Me In The Morning -- Old Remedies for Migraine
Annabel Simons
These days we call it a migraine, but our ancestors called it a "sick headache" -- and their remedies for it were many and varied.
It was often thought that the sick headache was caused by overindulgence in food or drink, so many of the suggested remedies involved items that worked on the stomach, rather than attempting to relieve the pain in the head. Some worked to soothe the stomach, others were intended to cause vomiting -- removing the excess of food by another means.
One suggested remedy was to take two teaspoons of powdered charcoal in half a glass of water. Charcoal is well-known in modern emergency rooms in cases of poisoning, where it helps to absorb and bind the toxic substances and prevents them getting into the bloodstream. The older remedy was intended to reduce the acid levels in the stomach and thus provide relief. Similarly, another remedy from the past mentions a mixture of soda and peppermint in hot water, again intended to relieve and soothe a stomach suffering from too much acid. A third suggestion involves salt water, used as an emetic.
Other remedies were to be applied to the head itself. Some authors recommended aconite liniment rubbed on the forehead; some thought that a decoction of marigold flowers would suffice to relieve the symptoms; a further group suggested that a cloth soaked in spirits of camphor and then sprinkled with black pepper was the best cure.
Other parts of the body could also be stimulated in an attempt to relieve the headache; General Grant is reported to have used a mustard footbath as a way of relieving his sick headaches. One can only speculate that the irritation caused by this might have taken his mind off his migraine?
Late in the nineteenth century, physicians began using extracts of ergot, a fungus which grows on rye, to treat migraines. While this may sound like an old wives' tale, in fact ergot is still the basis of many of the migraine drugs prescribed today. Milder cases are managed with painkillers.
Modern drugs might be more effective than pepper, mustard or marigold when it comes to combating a sick headache -- but perhaps less interesting?
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