Homeopathic remedies for migraine
Migraine — throbbing, lateralised, light-sensitive, with nausea and prostration — generates a rich symptom picture, and classical materia medica addresses it in considerable detail. The tradition sorts cases less by aetiology than by the precise texture of the pain, its laterality, the prodrome or aura, and the modalities that relieve or aggravate.
When to seek urgent conventional assessment
A headache that departs from a patient's established migraine pattern warrants prompt attention. Refer for immediate conventional assessment when any of the following are present:
- A sudden-onset "thunderclap" headache reaching maximum intensity within seconds.
- Headache accompanied by fever, neck stiffness, photophobia, or a non-blanching rash.
- Neurological signs: unilateral weakness or numbness, facial drooping, dysarthria, or sudden visual loss.
- Headache following head trauma, or one that is progressive, worse on recumbency or coughing, or presenting for the first time in a patient over 50.
- Aura persisting beyond one hour, or a first-ever aura in a patient with no prior history.
These presentations may indicate stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage, meningitis, or raised intracranial pressure and require urgent investigation.
The main remedy pictures
| Remedy | Core picture | Key differentiators |
|---|---|---|
| Belladonna | Sudden, violent, throbbing, right-sided | Flushed hot face; pupils dilated; worse light, noise, jarring |
| Iris versicolor | Frontal pain with visual blurring as prodrome | Burning, acid vomiting; often at weekend or holiday onset |
| Sanguinaria | Right-sided arc from occiput over right eye | Better lying still in the dark; periodic; associated nausea |
| Spigelia | Left-sided, over left eye; sharp, stitching | Worse motion and stooping; palpitation sometimes concurrent |
| Natrum muriaticum | "Little hammers"; preceded by zig-zag aura | After grief or sun exposure; worse 10 a.m.; craves salt |
| Gelsemium | Dull, heavy; begins in occiput, spreads forward | Heavy, drooping lids; relieved by copious urination |
Remedy differentials in detail
Belladonna is the remedy of the abrupt, pounding attack. Onset is rapid and violent; the face is hot and red; pupils are wide; pain is characteristically right-sided and throbbing, aggravated by the slightest light, noise, jarring, or motion. The patient wants absolute darkness and stillness.
Iris versicolor opens with blurred or hazy vision as the attack's first signal, followed by frontal headache and profuse vomiting of intensely acid, burning fluid. The classical association is with periodic headaches that strike when tension relaxes — typically weekend or holiday onset.
Sanguinaria commands the right-sided arc: pain beginning in the back of the neck or occiput, climbing over the right side of the skull, and settling over the right eye. Relief comes from lying still in a dark room, and the attack often ends after vomiting. It is the most frequently indicated remedy for classically right-sided periodic migraine.
Spigelia is Sanguinaria's left-sided mirror. The pain is over the left eye, sharp and stitching rather than throbbing, worsened by movement and stooping. Spigelia is also prominent where headache is concurrent with palpitation. The left–right differential between Sanguinaria and Spigelia is one of the most-taught migraine distinctions in classical practice.
Natrum muriaticum is indicated when the migraine is preceded by a shimmering zig-zag aura, described as "little hammers beating on the brain." The attack is worst in mid-morning, typically around 10 a.m. Aetiologically, grief, disappointment, or prolonged sun exposure feature prominently in the case history. The patient is often reserved, craves salt, and may have a history of suppressed emotion.
Gelsemium covers the dull, heavy, congestive attack: pain originating in the occiput and neck, spreading forward over the vertex and behind the eyes. The eyelids are heavy and drooping; the patient is apathetic and wants to be left alone. A keynote that stands out is relief of the headache after profuse urination.
Differentiating between pictures
The primary sorting keys in the migraine section of the repertory are:
- Laterality: right-sided (Belladonna, Sanguinaria) vs left-sided (Spigelia) vs bilateral or alternating (Natrum muriaticum, Gelsemium, Iris).
- Prodrome or aura: visual blurring or scotoma (Iris, Natrum muriaticum); occipital heaviness (Gelsemium); no notable prodrome in Belladonna (sudden onset).
- Character of pain: throbbing (Belladonna, Sanguinaria); stitching (Spigelia); hammering (Natrum muriaticum); dull and heavy (Gelsemium); burning (Iris).
- Accompaniments: acid vomiting (Iris); palpitation (Spigelia); urinary relief (Gelsemium); flushed face and photophobia (Belladonna).
- Aetiology or occasion: grief or sun (Natrum muriaticum); relaxation after stress (Iris); no clear trigger in Belladonna.
Repertory
The head chapter expands these differentials at full resolution. Rubrics such as Head; pain; right side, Head; pain; light aggravates, or Head; pain; occiput, extending to forehead carry the full list of graded remedies; you can search the free repertory by symptom to enter these chapters directly.
References
Boericke, W. (1927) Pocket Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory, ninth edition, Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel.
Kent, J. T. (1905) Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel.
Clarke, J. H. (1900) A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, three volumes, London: Homoeopathic Publishing Company.