Natural remedies for headaches
Direct answer
For preventing migraine, butterbur has the best-rated evidence (Moderate, 3) but carries a liver-safety problem: the UK regulator advised against unlicensed products in 2012, and liver injury has been reported even with PA-free extracts. None of these is a first-line answer here.
Feverfew is rated Limited (2), with about 0.6 fewer attacks a month than placebo in its best trial. Coenzyme Q10 is also Limited (2): the 2012 American Academy of Neurology and American Headache Society guideline called it "possibly effective" (Level C, a few small trials), a modest, low-risk option below feverfew (Level B).
For tension headache, peppermint oil on the skin is Limited (2) on one small trial, and willow bark is Traditional (1).
Any headache that is sudden and extremely painful, follows a head injury, comes with vision changes, weakness, confusion, a stiff neck or fever, or keeps coming back or gets worse needs medical help.
Compare the options
Of the 6 remedies for headaches we have rated, 2 have Moderate or Strong evidence for this use (none Strong). See our evidence report.
Click a column heading to sort.
| Rated for | Typical form & use | Main caution | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butterbur Petasites hybridus (root, leaf) | Moderate | Migraine prevention | PA-free root extract, 75 mg twice daily | Rare liver injury, even with PA-free products | 4+ weeks |
| Magnesium citrate Magnesium citrate (mineral salt) | Moderate | Migraine prevention | Magnesium dicitrate, 600 mg Mg daily | Kidney disease: magnesium can build up, ask first | 4+ weeks |
| Coenzyme Q10 Ubiquinone / ubiquinol (body coenzyme) | Limited | Migraine prevention | Capsule (ubiquinone) | Ask first if on warfarin; may alter its effect | 4+ weeks |
| Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium (leaf) | Limited | Preventing migraine | Leaf powder 100–600 mg/day | Not for pregnancy; may slow blood clotting | 4+ weeks |
| Peppermint Mentha x piperita (oil, leaf) | Limited | Tension headache (oil applied to forehead and temples) | 10% oil in ethanol, applied to skin | Not on broken skin or on under-2s | 2 weeks |
| Willow bark Salix spp. (bark), e.g. S. alba | Traditional | Minor joint pain, headache and fever with a cold | Ethanol extract, 120–240 mg salicin/day | Salicylate: not with aspirin allergy or under 18 | About a week |
- Rated for
- Migraine prevention
- Form
- PA-free root extract, 75 mg twice daily
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Migraine prevention
- Form
- Magnesium dicitrate, 600 mg Mg daily
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Migraine prevention
- Form
- Capsule (ubiquinone)
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Preventing migraine
- Form
- Leaf powder 100–600 mg/day
- Onset
- 4+ weeks
- Rated for
- Tension headache (oil applied to forehead and temples)
- Form
- 10% oil in ethanol, applied to skin
- Onset
- 2 weeks
- Rated for
- Minor joint pain, headache and fever with a cold
- Form
- Ethanol extract, 120–240 mg salicin/day
- Onset
- About a week
Quick picks
Feverfew was well tolerated in trials, with mild digestive upset and mouth sores from chewing fresh leaves the most common problems. Benefit is modest: the Cochrane review rated the evidence low quality, and the best trial showed 0.6 fewer attacks a month than placebo. Avoid it in pregnancy and with blood thinners or daisy-family allergy, and give it about 2 months.
Traditional favouriteWillow barkThe EU regulator recognises willow bark for headache on long-standing use alone, and no trials are cited for that use. Its real evidence is for low back pain, not headache. It is a salicylate related to aspirin, so it is unsuitable for anyone allergic to aspirin, under 18s and those on blood thinners without medical advice.
Key facts about headaches
- About 40% of the world's population, or 3.1 billion people, had a headache disorder in 2021. Migraine ranks third among neurological conditions for overall disease burden.9
- On any given day about 15.8% of the world's population has a headache. About 14% of people have migraine and 26% have tension-type headache.10
- In the US, 15.9% of adults had migraine or severe headache in 2018: 21% of women and 10.7% of men. Migraine accounted for roughly 4 million emergency department visits in 2016.11
- Migraines affect 10 million people in the UK, more women than men. Attacks usually last between 4 hours and 3 days, and in women migraine often gets better after the menopause.12
- Taking painkillers too often can itself cause headaches. Medication-overuse headache is the most common headache caused by something else and may affect up to 5% of some populations.9
- Call 999 for a sudden, extremely painful headache, or one with weakness on one side, problems speaking, loss of vision, confusion or a seizure. Get urgent advice if a migraine lasts longer than 72 hours.12
Talk to a doctor first if…
Who should avoid
- Butterbur: avoid any product not labelled PA-free, and avoid it altogether with liver disease or a history of liver problems.
- Butterbur in pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid it, and do not take it beyond about 16 weeks.
- Feverfew: not for pregnancy, breastfeeding, under-18s, before surgery, or with a daisy-family allergy or clotting disorder.
- Willow bark: contraindicated with aspirin or NSAID allergy, active stomach ulcer, bleeding disorders and in under-18s (Reye's syndrome risk).
- Coenzyme Q10: get a clinician's advice first with warfarin, insulin, blood pressure medicines or cancer treatment. There are no safety data in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Peppermint oil: do not put it on broken skin or on under-2s.
Known interactions
- Feverfew with blood thinners: it may slow blood clotting, so ask a doctor or pharmacist first. The EU assessment also lists a theoretical extra risk with NSAID painkillers.
- Willow bark: may increase the effect of anticoagulants, and combining it with aspirin or other NSAIDs is not recommended without medical advice.
- Coenzyme Q10 with warfarin: NCCIH says it may interact (case reports of a weaker response, though one small 4-week trial found no change in INR).
- Coenzyme Q10 with insulin or cancer treatment: NCCIH says it may interact with insulin, and it may not be compatible with some cancer treatments.
- Butterbur and topical peppermint oil: no interactions are listed, which does not mean there are none.
Before you reach for an ingredient
For most headaches the basics come first: fluids, regular meals, rest and finding your triggers. If you get migraines, a diary is also what a doctor will want to see before any preventive, herbal or not.
- The NHS advises drinking plenty of water, trying to relax because stress can make headaches worse, not skipping meals, not oversleeping, avoiding long stretches of eye strain from screens, and avoiding alcohol.3
- The NHS lists dehydration, not eating regular meals, stress, alcohol, bad posture, eyesight problems and taking too many painkillers among common causes, and suggests a headache diary to work out your triggers.3
Questions people ask
Do feverfew, butterbur or coenzyme Q10 prevent migraines?
All three may, modestly. Feverfew is rated Limited: the Cochrane review found the evidence low quality, and the best trial found 0.6 fewer attacks a month than placebo. Coenzyme Q10 is rated Limited too: the 2012 AAN/AHS guideline called it "possibly effective" (Level C) on a few small trials.
Butterbur is rated Moderate on one 245-person trial of a special extract (48% fewer attacks versus 26% on placebo), but its liver-safety record is why NCCIH and the UK regulator urge caution.
Is butterbur safe for your liver?
Not reliably. Butterbur contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can damage the liver, and NCCIH says even products labelled PA-free have been linked to rare liver injury.
In January 2012 the MHRA advised against unlicensed butterbur products, and a Medsafe review counted 40 reported liver cases, two needing transplants. See a doctor promptly for yellow skin or eyes, dark urine or persistent tiredness.
Does peppermint oil help a tension headache?
One small 1996 trial in 41 people found 10% peppermint oil in ethanol on the forehead and temples reduced headache intensity versus placebo, similar to 1,000 mg paracetamol. NCCIH describes the evidence as limited, and we have not seen it replicated.
When should I see a doctor about a headache?
See a GP if headaches keep coming back, do not improve with self-care, or are getting worse. Feverfew's EU monograph also says migraine should first be confirmed by a doctor.
Get urgent help (NHS 111 in the UK) for a headache with vision problems, being sick, or that is worse when coughing or bending. Call 999 or go to A&E if it started suddenly and is extremely painful, follows a head injury, or comes with weakness, confusion, a seizure, a stiff neck or a non-fading rash.
Sources (12)
- Randomised controlled trial Göbel H, Fresenius J, Heinze A, Dworschak M, Soyka D. Effectiveness of Oleum menthae piperitae and paracetamol in therapy of headache of the tension type. Nervenarzt. 1996.
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Peppermint Oil: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (last updated May 2025).
- Regulator/health agency NHS. Headaches. National Health Service (page last reviewed 17 April 2024).
- Regulator monograph European Medicines Agency HMPC. European Union herbal monograph on Salix [various species including S. purpurea L., S. daphnoides Vill., S. fragilis L.], cortex (EMA/HMPC/80630/2016 - Corr 1). 2017.
- Cochrane review Wider B, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Feverfew for preventing migraine. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015.
- Clinical guideline Holland S, Silberstein SD, Freitag F, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Neurology. 2012.
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Butterbur: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
- Regulator summary Medsafe (New Zealand). Complementary Corner: Butterbur and Liver Toxicity. Prescriber Update, June 2012.
- Regulator/health agency World Health Organization. Migraine and other headache disorders. Fact sheet. 24 October 2025.
- Systematic review Stovner LJ, Hagen K, Linde M, Steiner TJ. The global prevalence of headache: an update, with analysis of the influences of methodological factors on prevalence estimates. J Headache Pain. 2022.
- Population study Burch R, Rizzoli P, Loder E. The prevalence and impact of migraine and severe headache in the United States: Updated age, sex, and socioeconomic-specific estimates from government health surveys. Headache. 2021.
- Regulator/health agency NHS. Migraine. National Health Service (page last reviewed 10 March 2026).
Reviewed by Healthy and Herbal editors · 10 October 2026 · Next review April 2027
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.