Relieve Headaches With Hot Peppers

Reader Mike writes in with advice on how to kill those brain-wrenching migraines without drowsy medications. All you need is a few hot peppers.

Photo by John Winkelman/Flickr.

I have been a migraine sufferer for most of my life and I’ve tried many different prescription fixes. Some of them work, but my current prescription (Midrin) causes major drowsiness. Finally, a doctor recommended I try hot peppers. The capsaicin in the peppers has been used as a natural pain reliever for some time. I tried it first with chipotle peppers which are smoky and pleasant although still quite hot. It worked! As a matter of fact when combined with a cup of coffee (caffeine is a common drug used in over the counter drugs for the treatment of migraines), the peppers almost always successfully stem the onset of bad headaches. Eventually, I found a place locally that makes a habanero cream cheese that tastes great and does the job. This may not work for everyone, but I thought it was worth contributing. Migraines really are pretty terrible and the science of prevention is terribly lacking in medicine.

It should also be noted that not all peppers are created equally when it comes to capsaicin. The more common jalapeños and cayenne are fairly low in capsaicin, even though they are still hot. Most of the more exotic peppers found in Central and South American foods tend to be higher in capsaicin content. Experiment to find what works for you.

A quick Google search reveals that there is a lot of talk about this remedy, so it’s pretty well-founded. Got your own home remedy for headaches? Share it with us in the comments.


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