Most headache articles tell you to drink water and rest. That is good advice but it is not why you are here. This article looks at two remedies that have actually been put through clinical trials, what the researchers found and how to use them.
Why magnesium keeps coming up
Magnesium is involved in how nerves fire and how blood vessels relax, two things that matter a lot in headaches and migraine. It is also one of the minerals people are most often low in, because modern diets of processed food contain less of it and stress, coffee and alcohol all increase how much the body uses.
In 1996 German researchers gave 81 people with regular migraines either 600 mg of magnesium a day or a placebo for 12 weeks. By the last month, migraine attacks had dropped by 41.6% in the magnesium group compared with 15.8% in the placebo group. The magnesium group also had fewer migraine days and needed less pain medication (Peikert et al., Cephalalgia, 1996).
That was one trial. In 2016 researchers pooled 21 trials together. Ten trials with 789 people looked at magnesium taken daily to prevent migraine and found it significantly reduced both how often migraines came and how bad they were. Another eleven trials with 948 people looked at magnesium given through a drip in hospital during an attack and found it relieved pain within 15 to 45 minutes (Chiu et al., Pain Physician, 2016).
Magnesium oil, a gentler way to use magnesium
The trials above used magnesium taken by mouth. Many people now prefer magnesium oil, which is sprayed onto the skin and massaged in. It is easy on the stomach, since diarrhoea was the most common complaint with tablets in the 1996 trial, and massaging it into a tight neck, shoulders and temples has become part of many people's evening wind-down. For tension that builds up through the day, the ritual itself is part of the relief.
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Violet oil, the Persian headache remedy
Long before magnesium supplements existed, physicians of Persian and Unani medicine reached for violet. Violet oil, made from Viola odorata, was one of their main remedies for headaches and sleeplessness, particularly headaches they described as "hot", the kind that come with a flushed face, irritability and poor sleep. It was rubbed onto the forehead and temples. This traditional violet oil was made by soaking violet in sesame or almond oil. Our violet leaf oil comes from the same plant but is steam-distilled from its heart-shaped leaves, giving a pure, concentrated oil.
Modern researchers in Iran have started testing these old formulas. In a 2018 double-blind trial, 88 people with migraine took either a traditional combination of violet, damask rose and coriander or a placebo, alongside their usual medication, for four weeks. The herbal group had significantly fewer, shorter and less severe headaches than the placebo group (Kamali et al., Electronic Physician, 2018).
The traditional infused violet oil has also been tested on its own for sleep. In a 2018 trial of 75 adults with chronic insomnia, violet oil used every night for a month (given as drops in the nose in that study) improved sleep quality more than almond oil or a placebo (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2018). Poor sleep and headaches feed each other, which is exactly why Persian physicians used the same oil for both.
A simple headache routine
- Daily: keep your magnesium up through food (pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, dark chocolate, legumes) or a supplement.
- In the evening: massage magnesium oil into your neck, shoulders and the backs of your legs.
- When a headache starts and at bedtime: rub a few drops of violet leaf oil into your forehead and temples, the way violet has been used for centuries.
- Track it: write down when headaches come, what you ate and how you slept. Most people find a pattern within a month.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor straight away for a sudden severe headache, a headache after a head injury, or one that comes with fever, a stiff neck, confusion, weakness or changes to your vision. Speak to your doctor before taking magnesium if you have kidney problems or take other medication.
This article is for education only and is not medical advice.
Keep reading: Violet Leaf Oil for Sleep and a Calm Mind: What Persian Medicine Knew and What Research Shows · The Power of Magnesium Oil: Benefits, Uses & How to Apply It · Harnessing the Power of Magnesium Oil for Improved Sleep and Stress Management