Migraines can feel like downright torture.

And there aren’t many options to help. You could try a prescription. But most don’t work. And the ones that do? You guessed it. They come with some severe side effects.

But now research shows that an herbal extract can provide relief. More specifically, it can cut the frequency of migraines by up to 50 percent.

Researchers with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York studied the effects of this extract on 245 patients. They published their results in the journal Neurology.1

One group of patients received 75 mg of the extract twice a day, a second received 50 mg twice a day and a third received a placebo. Subjects took the supplements for four months. At the end of the study the patients who took 50 mg of the extract experienced a 36 percent decrease in migraine attack frequency. But the ones who took 75 mg of the extract twice a day had an almost 50 percent decrease in their rates of migraine attack.

A German study found similar results.2 33 adults took 50 mg of the extract twice a day while 27 adults took a placebo.

At the start of the study participants reported suffering an average of 3.3 migraines each month. At four weeks, the adults on the extract had just 1.8 migraines per month. And with time it only got better. At eight weeks the extract reduced migraines to 1.3 per month—a 61 percent decrease. The best part…no side effects.

What can you take to reduce your migraines?

Butterbur.

Butterbur is a shrub native to Europe, parts of Asia, and North America with wet, marshy land.3 It gets its name from the traditional use of using its large leaves to wrap butter in warm weather. It’s used for an array of ailments. And the leaves and roots are used to make extract supplements.

When a migraine comes on, blood vessels expand and become inflamed.4 The inflamed blood vessels press on nerve fibers which cause pain. Throbbing, nausea, and sensitivity to light can accompany migraine attacks.

Butterbur has anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxant effects.5 Both of which prove to offer relief when a migraine attacks. It helps smooth muscles in the blood vessel walls in the brain.

Whereas headaches usually last for only a few hours, migraines can last several hours or even days.6 There is no cure. Doctors usually prescribe antidepressants, blood pressure medication, and seizure medication to reduce migraine attacks. Of course those come with a laundry list of side effects: loss, dizziness, blurred vision, weight gain, and pancreatitis to name a few.7 But now that you know this safe alternative—and one that actually works—there’s really no reason to put your health in danger.

Just keep in mind; you do still need to be careful with butterbur. The raw, unprocessed plant can contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are toxic and cause liver damage. So make sure you check the label to make sure it is PA-free.

PA-free butterbur is safe and effective. In as little as a month you can start to receive relief from those debilitating migraines.

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References:

1 http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15623680

2 http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11020030

3 http://nccam.nih.gov/health/butterbur

4 http://health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20327068,00.htm

5 http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16520304

6 http://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001728/

7 http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/migraine/medications-for-preventing-migraine-attacks.html