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Severe migraines and ginkgo biloba
Recently, I have begun to suffer from excruciating migraines that happen once a month and which last for three days. When I have one, I suffer from severe nausea and vomiting. I have been taking a cocktail of supplements to treat this, including Ginkgo biloba and evening primrose oil? Could I be overdosing on the Ginkgo?
The recommended safe daily dose for Ginkgo biloba is 120mg a day, so as long as you keep to this dosage, you should not have any adverse effects. That said, you might benefit from switching to another herb which, as well as preventing the vasodilation (opening up the of the blood vessels in the head) that is causing your migraines, also works to calm the nerves and banish tension headaches.
Clinical trials of a herb called butterbur (Petasites hybridus) show how migraine sufferers who took 50mg of standardised extract of this herb, twice daily, reduced the number of migraine days by 62% over a six month period. This herb was traditionally used by the ancient Greeks as a muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory, pain-killing agent. A standardised extract guarantees a minimum dose of the active ingredients - and for the same results, you need the same dosage.
Homeopathy is also worth considering, not least because it recognises that no two migraines are the same. It keys in to these differences and makes a point of prescribing remedies according to not only the type of pain, but also how it starts. If the headache is worse on the right side, for example, and if trying to concentrate makes the pain worse, your homeopath is likely to suggest Lycopodium 6c (this figure denotes the strength or potency of the dilution). Blurring of the vision and vomiting would suggest Iris 6c while a throbbing, blinding headache with a feeling of congestion in the head would probably be best treated by Natrum mur. 6c.
*Migravoid provides 50mg of butterbur per capsule and costs £19.95 for 60 tablets. Mail order from Victoria Health on 0800-413596