Migraines are no fun. If you’ve suffered from one, you’re probably nodding in agreement. Adamantly.
Up until a few years ago I’d never had one. I’ve had bad headaches (what some call “ice pick headaches”) but not migraines. I was thankful because I knew people who were debilitated with them: vomiting, nausea, and the inability to function.
And then I got one out of the blue. And another. And another. My eyes hurt. My head ached. I was nauseous. My hair even hurt. I’d close my eyes with my head underneath the covers and it was still too bright.
I was dumbfounded. Why was I suddenly getting migraines?
What Are Migraines?
A migraine is a recurring, intense headache of moderate to severe pain lasting for hours or days. It often causes a throbbing, searing, or pulsing pain, sometimes in a specific area of the head. It can cause fever, chills, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and smells.
Sometimes migraines warn you they’re coming with symptoms such as flashes of light, zigzag lines in their vision, blind spots, or even a temporarily loss of vision. Some report tingling in their arms and legs.
Migraine headaches are one of the most common health conditions in the world, and one of the top 20 causes of disability among adults. In the United States, about 12% of people get migraines. Women are three times more likely to suffer from them than men. About 60% of women have migraines that coincide with their menstrual cycle.
What Causes Migraines?
There’s no real solid answer to the cause of a migraine — hypotheses vary. And even more confusing is that migraines can be triggered differently, depending on the person. Something that causes a migraine in one person may not affect somebody else. However, there are a few common factors:
- anxiety
- stress
- lack of sleep
- too much or too little food
- specific foods or drinks
- dehydration
- hormonal changes
- allergies
- exposure to light or certain smells
- changes in weather or altitudes
- physical activity whether light or intense
Experimenting With Red Raspberry Leaf Tea For Migraines
One afternoon I had a conversation with my friend Hilary, explaining to her my sudden onset of migraines. She asked if I’d been stressed. Well, if you consider an unexpected job change and an intense period of packing, painting, and moving in a 3-month time period stressful, then yes. But all that activity was several months ago. Life had “sorta” slowed down since then.
When I told her the ice pick headaches and now the migraines always seemed to appear a few days before my period, she asked, “Have you been drinking your red raspberry leaf tea?”
I have a love affair with tea. And not just any tea: red raspberry leaf tea.
It all started when heard how red raspberry leaves could ease labor pains. I was eight months pregnant with our fifth baby and wasn’t opposed to a natural way to ease labor one iota. 😉 So, I investigated a little, drank a bit here and there, and after the birth of our son thought, “Hmmm. I do believe that labor was easier than previous ones.”
I forgot about the tea for a few years until I was pregnant with our sixth baby. This time I dug into research and drank a cold mixture of red raspberry and other herbs by the quart jar. My labor and delivery was amazingly different and faster. I was sold — even more so when I continued to drink it and found that it eased after pains and completely made my menstrual cycle bearable.
By the time the migraines started, I’d been drinking it regularly for several years… except for the 3 to 4 months when we’d been so busy with moving. When I thought about Hilary’s question, it dawned on me that I hadn’t drank it at all for at least 2 months.
Could it be that simple? If I started using red raspberry leaf for migraines, would they stop?
So I started an experiment. I went back to making the tea and drank one quart a day. Interestingly, I started the experiment a few days after my last migraine so I had a month to drink the tea. When my period came and went with no sign of a migraine, I was elated. I continued to drink it, and 4 more months passed without a single migraine.
If I slow down my intake of tea I do get light headaches, but even my ice pick headaches diminish if I drink it regularly. I haven’t stopped drinking it since.
It’s my assumption that my migraines were caused by changes in hormones. If you think your migraines are caused by this too, be sure to try Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (recipe below) and let me know if you notice a difference.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Ingredients
- 8 parts red raspberry leaf
- 3 parts dried alfalfa
- 3 parts dried peppermint if you’re nursing, replace this with fenugreek as peppermint can decrease your milk supply
- 2 parts dried stinging nettle leaf
Instructions
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Combine herbs and store in an airtight jar or container.
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To make hot tea, pour boiling water over 1 to 2 teaspoons of the tea mix.
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Let it steep for about 5 minutes.
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Remove the leaves and sweeten with stevia or another natural sweetener.
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To make a big batch of cold tea (my favorite), pour about 4 cups of water over 1/2 cup of leaves.
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Let steep for about 4 hours.
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Strain the leaves and pour the tea into a gallon container.
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Sweeten with stevia or another natural sweetener.
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Fill the gallon the rest of the way with water.
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Place it in the refrigerator until cold. This tastes great on a hot day!
Do you suffer from frequent migraines? Have you ever used red raspberry leaf for migraines? Have questions about my experience? Feel free to comment below and share your findings with others.
Sources: MedlinePlus, Mercola, Mayo Clinic.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You are responsible for your own health and for the use of any remedies, treatments, or medications you use at home.
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Loved the article! I regularly drink herbal infusions and I love them. I have tried and tried to include red rasp leaf, but every time I find it too stimulating. It makes my heart race and keeps me awake at night. Do you have any idea why? I react the same to any B vitamin supplements if that is any help. Can anyone relate?
Hi Rhonda,
Red raspberry leaves are high in vitamin B. People can have heart palpitations from both deficiency in vitamin B and over-use. Does it happen if you take even tiny amounts of tea (watered down)? Were you taking a B vitamin AND trying the tea at the same time?
Do you have a naturopath in your area you can visit? That would be my first suggestion. 🙂
WOW! My migraines are caused by hormone changes and weather changes. I want to try this. I LOVE tea too. Do you know can you buy red raspberry leaf tea already mixed up? I’m not a stickler on loose leaf teas vs tea bags or anything. I just wonder if I can find anywhere ready to go. Thanks.
Hi Cecily,
Before I started mixing it myself I purchased Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew from Bulk Herb Store. It’s conveniently mixed and tastes great! 🙂
Sorry – that link didn’t work. Let me try it again:
Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew
I have red raspberry bushes in my yard. Plenty of leaves! So I was wondering…is it just as easy as it might seem? Could I just dry my own leaves in the sun and get the same product? This was a great article. Thank you!
Hi Tami,
I buy my red raspberry leaves, but now that I’ve found a patch in my woods I’m definitely going to try drying them myself.
You can dry them in the sun, but you can also try hanging them upside down like I do with nettles. They might get more air circulation that way.
I was wondering the same thing: if I could grow/dry my own. This is good to know! I get horrible migraines every so often and try to treat them naturally.
Sorry ladies, my links weren’t working. Here they are again:
This is where I buy my red raspberry leaves, and this is how I dry my nettles.
Hope that helps! 🙂
I’m so glad to see this post! I suffer from migraines that seemingly have no common trigger. Any type of headache I have usually turns into a migraine if left untreated. I’ve yet to find a natural remedy that will take care of my headaches, so I’m literally making this tea as I type! Thanks for the info.! I’m excited to try the tea!
I’m glad you found our post! It may take a good month of solid drinking before you notice a difference – we’d love to hear your feedback!
Pain is in fact a big migraine trigger for me. I suffer with permanent nerve pain (although new info gives me hope) and when the pain gets to an uncontrolled certain level I will then get a migraine. I got help from a rehabilitation physiotherapist for ways of controlling pain, and then found non medicated ways of alleviating pain through the ‘crunchy’ communities. You might consider checking out Essential Oils, changing your diet – perhaps some food elimination, and adding certain vitamin rich foods.
I will certainly add Red Raspberry Leaves – as I have B12 deficiency – because it’s all about experimenting and learning along the journey.
This is interesting. I wonder if blackberry leaves would work? We have berry vines all over the place.
I have noticed that if I don’t take magnesium for a day or two, I am more likely to be subject to a migraine.
I’m not sure about the blackberry leaves. I’ve only ever tried raspberry. Buy hey, if it has a possibility of helping a migraine, it might be worth a try! 🙂
I’m curious if blackberry leaves would work similarly also as we have tons of them on our property, but no red raspberry bushes.
Hi Beth,
I just replied to the same question above. I’ve never tried blackberry leaves. . .but it’s worth researching! 🙂
I’ve been using feverfew and lemon balm when I have a sudden migraine, but they didn’t help with my migraines triggered by hormones. Wonderful to know there’s something out there specifically for that that isn’t a pill!!! Thanx for sharing!
I’m glad you have found relief using red raspberry tea. However, if you have to keep drinking it to keep the migraines away, the tea is not HEALING your body. You can be totally free from migraines, using another natural way. Homeopathy will not only stop the migraines, but will HEAL the body and correct whatever imbalance is causing the migraines in the first place. It will do this very gently and easily, and will probably touch on other issues that are out of balance. Until the body is brought back into balance, you will continue to have issues. It won’t stop at migraines. A great resource I have found is through this blog & website: http://www.joettecalabrese.com . Joette is a WAPF person, a mom, a professional homeopath who’s passion is to teach moms how to treat their families drug-free. She has tons of free stuff at her site, plus she teaches classes periodically. Through a recent class of hers, I (along w/ several friends of mine) am healing my family’s ADHD, learning issues, anger issues, hormone/hot flash issues, diabetes, joint pains, gluten intolerances, grief issues, and much more. We are not talking about something you have to take the rest of your life. We’re talking true healing! And homeopathy is totally safe to use and no side effects.
Joette has three free downloads that everyone can start with: Cell Salts, First Aid and Baby Grande (Pregnancy/Lactation).
Sherri – I so agree with you. This is our second round with Joette for our little boy. He was diagnosed one year ago with Autism ( he is very high functioning though) I have seen AMAZING improvements in him and I cannot be happier. Homeopathy is indeed amazing medicine. I am about to embark soon on a journey of healing myself from headaches, migraines and other issues I have. – thank you for posting this 🙂
Hi Paula! I have been suffering from migraines for years! The most recent and one of my worst lasting 5 days was just last week! The worst pain of any i have experienced! It came on like a monster and was real hard to do anything plus no sleep didn’t help the matter. It was hard to sleep with that pounding in my head. I love herbal teas as well and was wondering if i could pick this up at a health food store. I’m thinking i probably can. I hope this helps as i get them at least once a month.
I bought some raspberry leaf tea because I had heard that it may help with menstrual pains. I drank a cup the last time I starting feeling bad cramps and it seemed to ease the pain fairly quickly. It’s just a tea bag though, traditional medicinals brand, would it work similarly to the loose leaf version you mentioned above or does it need the addition of the other herbs to work the same way? Would it also work for normal headaches or just migraines?
The bag tea that you buy in the little boxes will probably work, but the other ingredients in the mix are rich in vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, and potassium. The peppermint is good for toning and cleansing the body and the nettles are a good blood purifier.
I rarely drink red raspberry leaves completely alone.
And yes, it does help with regular headaches. I used to get normal headaches, and ‘ice pick’ headaches quite often and those have vanished since drinking the above mix.
Hi Paula,
It is the Bulk Herbal Store – bulkherbstore.com and the mixture is called Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew – Organically Grown Herbs. A half pound costs $15.99.
I have been taking my leftover placenta pills just before I get my period to stave off migraines the day after. Works every time.
I got migraines as a little kid (first one at 4 years old). They stopped when I hit puberty. They started again when I went through chemo. They intensified when I got pregnant. And now, they happen like clockwork the day after my period ends, unless I take my pills.
Definitely a funky hormonal thing.
Aside from the red pad berry leaves , what are the benefits of the other ingredients ? Thx
The other ingredients are very beneficial too. You can read more about the benefits of nettles here.
Peppermint is one of the oldest and most reliable herbs historically for digestion issues. It’s used for it’s anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. People use it for everything from colds and flus to fevers, colic, and . . .migraines/headaches. 🙂
Fennel is a yummy herb that reminds me of black licorice. It’s used for indigestion, to promote lactation, and for joint and muscle pain, just to mention a few.
Alfalfa has been used as a way to flush out toxins, ease achy joint pain, balance hormones, and it’s loaded with vitamins and minerals.
One of my favorite herbal resources is Practical Herbalism by Philip Fritchey. A gold mine of herbal info!
I’m really looking forward to giving this a try. Are the “parts” by weight or by volume?
The parts are by volume. I usually use a 1 cup measuring cup.
That’s what I figured. Thanks!
Does alfalfa have to be included? Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions recommends avoiding it.
No, you don’t have to include alfalfa.
I also have NT – and if you’re looking at the paragraph on pg. 113 of her book, I have always read it to mean she does not recommend alfalfa “seeds” in any form because she goes on to talk about how alfalfa sprouts and seeds can have inflammatory effects.
However, I don’t believe she means alfalfa as an herb – the leaf form – because later in that same paragraph she goes on to say canavanine (the amino acid found in the seed that she is warning against) is not found in mature alfalfa ‘plants’.
I started getting migraines after a partial hysterectomy. I was 34. They were debilitating for about 18 years; I tried everything from acupuncture to vitamins everything. No allergies. They came every month 28 days apart on the full moon. Now they’re all the time mostly around the full moon and in the middle of the month. They’re not as severe. I used to have the vomiting everything, ice pick pain. I’m going to try this combination, I’m desperate I need some relief I’m 61 now.
I never had a migraine until just over 7 years ago and then bam I had over that lasted 2+ months until I started to take preventative medications. It’s only been recently that I’ve been pursuing healing from adrenal fatigue using supplements. I also drink tulsi tea which helps tremendously but it helps my fatigue and that indirectly prevents migraines.
I have have had migraines for many years. Headache clinic changed my med to preventatives, ibuprofen, & zomig. I also changed my diet. All helps but still need that zomig. I drank chamomile tea which calmed anxiety but I have been spotting. I am searching for a tea to help. I thought tannins increase headaches & raspberry is high. Help?
I think it has to do with the fact that so many things can attribute to migraines: stress, food, hormones, health, etc.
My personal experience has me thinking mine are hormone-related, but someone else’s may be from something totally different. For me, the tea seems to reduce my migraines and apparently the tannins don’t bother me. . .but I can only share my experience. 🙂
You’ve changed your diet, and have taken tea to calm you. . .have you looked into your hormonal health?
Both red raspberry leaf tea and Maca (a superfood) contain tannins, yet both are positively linked to women’s hormones – which might be the culprit. It might be worth looking into.
Here’s an article that goes into more detail: Maca: The Superfood for Hormone Imbalance.
In response to the chamomile causing spotting, there are many herbs that block progesterone absorption, and chamomile is one of them. If you google “progesterone blocking herbs” you will find the list. I avoid most herbs like the plague now, because lower progesterone levels, as in estrogen dominance, causes migraines for me. The only herb that is helping is Vitex. I am down from 15 headache days /month to 5 or so, with Vitex and lots of B vitamins and antioxidants, but I’d love to have zero headaches so I’m reading this blog. Maca gave me a migraine, as well as turmeric, licorice, and many others. Herbs are serious medicine, so I’m trying to find out HOW the raspberry leaf works before I dare take it.
So… you’d recommend to drink a quart of this per day, every day? — Hey, if it helps, I will! Just making sure I get it right. 🙂
Because I’m not a doctor, I can’t ‘recommend’ – I can only tell you what worked for me and the amount I drank. 🙂
I understand that. 😉
But _a quart a day_ was what you drank…? I only know about red raspberry tea from my birthing classes. The instructor said she drank one cup per day anyway, and towards the end of her (first) pregnancy, she upped it to one teapot full. Which might equal a quart, perhaps a bit more.
Just aiming for a ballpark number, not a health consultation. Just so that I don’t drink a cup full and be frustrated that it won’t work. 😀
Also, again, strictly from your own experience – this is more like _maintenance_ from the sound of it, rather than treating a migraine you already have?
Yes, I drink a quart a day. I make it with a loose leaves and make a gallon at a time which I keep in the fridge. I don’t think I could go through that much hot tea. 🙂
From what I’ve researched and read, some recommend waiting until after your second trimester to start drinking it.
And yes, from my experience, this is more maintenance than anything. 🙂
How interesting!! I drank red raspberry leaf and nettles tea faithfully during my pregnancy and it was the only time in my life that I haven’t suffered from migraines! I never made the connection. I have had migraines since childhood and no prescription or preventative was effective. I had a fabulous pregnancy largely in post because it was 30+ weeks of no migraines. I guess I need to include it in my daily regime even while I’m not pregnant!! Thanks for the article!
I was so excited to see this information. Can I use only the red raspberry leaves, or do you have to add the peppermint, nettles, etc?
I’m not positive on which herb it is exactly that helps – I’ve always combined them all. 🙂
I started getting migraines in my late 20s/early30s, and I didn’t realize they were migraines; I thought I had a stomach virus each time, until one day I described the feeling to my brother (migraineur from about age 7), and he said, “That’s a migraine.” My doctor confirmed.
I searched for years trying to figure out a trigger, and I finally realized that after a few days of overdoing the starchy carbs/sweets — BAM — migraine. I’m insulin-resistant (PCOS) so perhaps that has something to do with it, but whatever the reason, if I eat too much bread, pasta, etc., too many days in a row, I will get a migraine. My “aura” is extreme sleepiness at an early hour (I am very regular with bedtime). If it’s only 8:30 but I can hardly keep my eyes open, I know I’ll have a migraine the next morning. Sometimes I can cut them off by drinking a LOT of water when I realize I have an aura.
interesring! I will definitely try! Been suffering 30 years and they get worse over time–sometimes 20 of 30 days/month. Been to world renown headache clinics. Tried many preventative meds, elimination diet, supplements, acupuncture. Triptans help acutely but not completely. I know mine are hormonal and related to sleep, hydration, and blood sugar. So I’m skeptical that some tea will be miraculous but I’m desperate so I’ll try it and let you know if my life changes 🙂 I hope it does!!!
is there a substitute for raspberry leaves? i’m allergic to raspberries.
Not that I know of. 🙁
Do you have a good recipe for a tea for woman in menopause? I would like to try making one for help with mood swings and hot flashes. Thanks in advance.
Because this tea has been so helpful for me in ‘woman areas’, I’d drink it during menopause too, but I can’t prove that it would do anything – just basing that on experience with what it’s helped me with so far.
For menopause, have you ever tried maca? I did a review on how it helps women’s hormones you might find interesting: http://wholeintentions.com/2013/12/maca-peruvian-superfood-review-giveaway/
Well, I finally tried the raspberry leaf tea, (Traditional medicinals,) and it gave me a migraine. It also made my heart race all night with palpitations. So it is probable that it raises estrogen, though I haven’t been able to find any info on what raspberry leaf actually does chemically in the body. Bummer that it didn’t work for me. Be careful!
I’ve been migraine free for seven months ever since I began to drink this tea daily. YAY!
I just came across this, and must try it. I’ve had migraines since I was 5 years old and pmdd since having children. I want to try out, before investing in individual ingredients, the mama’s blend tea that you said you used to purchase before making your own. Do you know if that blend uses the same ratios of ingredients as your recipe? Thank you so much!
Hi Kate,
Unfortunately Bulk Herb Store doesn’t sell Mama’s Red Rasberry Brew mix anymore. It’s been at least seven years since I’ve looked at their ratios, but I do remember that it’s very close to what theirs was. Sorry I can’t be more help!
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate your help and all the information you provided in your post. I will look into making my own mix then using your recipe. Thanks!