Essential oils have been used to ease headache pain and stress for centuries. Find out which may help.
Headache and migraine pain can be triggered or exacerbated by stress, making relaxation an important part of any migraine or headache treatment. One option to try is aromatherapy, which uses essential oils from plants for healing. Perfume Oil For Men
Aromatherapy has been used to relieve stress and pain for thousands of years and is usually safe, although there isn’t much scientific evidence to prove how well it works. A lack of research studies on essential oils doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t work, says Yufang Lin, MD, the director of education, wellness, and preventive medicine at the Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Lakewood, Ohio.
In many cases, these oils just haven’t been studied to find out if they’re effective because of lack of funding or other reasons, Dr. Lin says. “For example, peppermint oil has been classically used for migraine headaches, yet there’s not a lot of studies on it; as herbalists, we know that certain herbs can benefit you because of their mechanism.”
Essential oils are considered a complementary therapy, which means they’re used in addition to standard medical care. Check with your doctor first if you’re interested in using essential oils to treat headaches or migraine. You can find out more about aromatherapy and locate a qualified aromatherapist on the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) website.
Essential oils are extracted from plants. They’re made in one of two ways, distillation or expression. In distillation, hot steam is used to release the compounds from the plants and then passes through a cooling system where the steam is converted back into water. Once the mixture cools, the oil floats to the top.
Citrus oils are often made through expression, a method where no heat is used. Instead, the oil is forced out using high mechanical pressure.
The relationship between scents and the brain is complicated, says Lin. “For some people with migraine, strong odors can actually trigger an attack, and so essential oils or scents should be used very carefully,” she says.
If you’re in the middle of a migraine attack or a headache, any scent, even one you typically find calming, can be bothersome if it’s too strong, says Lin. “It could be too stimulating. You might need to dilute the oil more than you normally would for day-to-day use if you’re using it for migraine,” she says.
“Classically, when we’re thinking about migraine, migraine attacks tend to be triggered by things like stress, not getting enough sleep, or when there’s some strong environmental stimulants like bright light or sounds,” says Lin.
Part of migraine prevention is trying to minimize those things, she says. “Since stress and anxiety and tension are big triggers for headaches in general, things that reduce stress and anxiety can also potentially reduce headaches,” she says.
Essential oils shouldn’t replace doctor-prescribed migraine therapy, but there are some small studies to show that some types of essential oils may reduce the frequency or severity of migraine, says Lin.
Lavender oil comes from the plant’s blue-violet flowers, and aromatherapists often use it to help treat headache. Just place a few drops of lavender oil into boiling water and inhale the vapors. Lavender oil can also be rubbed into the skin for pain relief. But keep it away from your mouth and eyes — it’s toxic if ingested.
There is research to show that lavender has benefits for anxiety and stress as well as in reducing the severity and frequency of migraines, says Lin.
One study showed that people with diagnosed migraine who inhaled the scent of lavender essential oil for 15 minutes while they had a headache experienced a greater reduction in headache severity than people in a control group who did not inhale lavender.
Peppermint is a cross between the water mint and spearmint plants, and it grows wild in Europe and North America. Peppermint oil is used in aromatherapy for headache pain as well as muscle and nerve pain.
This essential oil can be inhaled, applied to the skin after being diluted with a neutral oil, or taken by mouth in very small doses. Some pain studies show that peppermint oil used as aromatherapy for headache may allow people to use fewer pain medications.
“Peppermint has menthol in it, and menthol has long been used as an analgesic; it numbs the pain by triggering the pain fibers,” says Lin. Triggering the pain fibers “supersedes the actual sensation of the headache pain,” she explains.
Peppermint oil has been shown to improve tension headaches and is considered an accepted treatment for acute headaches, according to research.
“Peppermint is also used to reduce anxiety; it calms the nervous system without sedating people,” says Lin.
Rosemary is another essential oil that is frequently used in aromatherapy. Rosemary oil applied to the skin has been used to treat muscle pain and improve circulation, so it makes sense that it could help relieve migraine or headache pain.
Essential oil of rosemary may be added to a base, or neutral, oil and rubbed into the skin. It can also be added to bathwater. Avoid contact with the eyes or any open cuts.
In a very small study, rosemary was shown to reduce migraine, says Lin.
A review of rosemary’s effect on the nervous system found that rosemary was “a worthy source” for curing inflammation, as well as as an analgesic, a memory-booster, and an anti-anxiety remedy.
Ginger is a tropical plant with an underground stem that has been used in Asian medicine to relieve stomachache, nausea, and diarrhea. Ginger oil has a pungent smell and can be used as a massage oil to relieve joint and muscle pain, though there is no hard evidence to support its effectiveness.
“Ginger is great for nausea, although my experience with ginger is mostly through teas or food. I’m not really sure as an essential oil it gives the same benefit, though I don’t think there’s any harm trying it,” says Lin.
The research on using ginger oil for nausea is mixed. One study found that people who inhaled the scent after abdominal surgery reported less nausea and vomiting than subjects in the placebo group.
However, another study found no benefit for a blend of ginger, peppermint, spearmint, and cardamom oils when used on children experiencing postoperative nausea and vomiting.
“Usually when we’re thinking of using ginger to help with nausea for stomach issues, we’re thinking ginger tea, sucking on a ginger lozenge, or taking a ginger supplement,” says Lin.
There are cases where the effect of an essential oil on migraine or headache itself is unknown, but it may help with factors related to migraine, says Lin. For example, certain essential oils may be used to help reduce anxiety or support sleep, which in turn may affect headaches, she says.
Bergamot and frankincense can be used to reduce anxiety, support the stress response, and maybe help people sleep better, and so from that perspective you can certainly use these scents.
Bergamot oil is made from a type of orange tree. It has an intense, lemony aroma that’s been used for both pain and anxiety, so it could also be a helpful headache treatment. Bergamot oil aroma is inhaled — some researchers believe that scent receptors in the nose react to essential oils by sending messages to the brain that cause relaxation, similar to the way medications work.
Frankincense essential oil is distilled from the resin of Boswellia carteri, a tree native to the Arabian Peninsula and northeastern Africa. In one study, researchers found the effect of frankincense on sleep-deprived rats suggested that it “may be beneficial in the management of stress.”
In addition, other research using rodents has found extracts of Boswellia serrata to have anti-inflammatory properties, and some medical providers are starting to use Boswellia (usually from compounding pharmacies, which can dispense standardized formulations) for their headache patients who respond to NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The benefit of using Boswellia in place of NSAIDs is to avoid NSAIDs’ adverse effects on the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.
The leaves and oil of the eucalyptus tree are used for many medicinal purposes. Eucalyptus oil is said to help reduce swelling, clear nasal congestion, and relieve pain.
According to a review, eucalyptus oil has been used to regulate and activate the nervous system for nerve pain, headache, and “debility.”
Full-strength essential oil of eucalyptus should not be taken by mouth or rubbed on the skin; it should be diluted first.
One case report suggested that daily use might be too much: A teenage boy with migraine initially found relief by applying a mixture of camphor and eucalyptus to his forehead. As his headaches went from occasional to daily, however, he began to apply the essential oil mixture every day. Only when he stopped using the essential oils did his headache subside.
If you have headaches or migraine, beware of candles that are scented to smell like an essential oil, says Lin. “You may want to avoid those, because they often have artificial scents rather than true essential oils — they can often be stronger and more irritating,” she says. Plug-in scents that are artificial are also a big no-no, she adds.
There are things to look for to make sure you’re buying high-quality oil, says Nancy J. Rodgers, a certified massage therapist and aromatherapist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including the following:
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