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Natural Migraine
Homeopathic Remedy
Do you get
migraine headaches? I do and I’ve found a wonderful remedy that
works for me. Are you familiar with Weeping Willow Trees? If you are,
great! They are usually found near rivers and lakes. I was raised in the
New England area and they are plentiful up there. Go out and harvest a
fair amount of the leaves from them. Put them in a paper bag (from the
grocery store) and close the top (roll it down a couple of times). Leave
them to sit for a few days closed up. This will dry them naturally with no
mold or mildew. Once the leaves are dried, crush them up with your fingers
or you can use a metal strainer basket (one with a somewhat tight weave).
Using a strainer helps you to be able to pick out any bad spots of the
leaves that you don’t want to use. Once the leaves are crushed up you
can make a tea out of them. You can use as much or as little of the leaves
as you desire, depending on the strength of the tea you’ll need. I
either use a spoon with a strainer built in on the end of it or a small
strainer that I sit on top of the cup. I’ve used both the small metal
strainers and the bamboo ones. I prefer the metal ones because the bamboo
ones let too many of the leaves get into the tea. Once you’ve got your
leaves ready in a strainer, pour boiling water over them and let steep as
long as you like. You can add whatever sweetener you like (and I do
recommend using a sweetener, as the tea by itself doesn’t taste very
good, but it does work). I also put an ice cube or two in my tea, so that
I can drink it right away. Whenever I feel one of my really bad headaches
coming on, I make my willow tea, drink it and my headache goes away.
The above tea can also be made using the bark of
the Willow Tree, but I’ve never tried it.
Now as to why it works.
The willow leaves and the bark of the tree contain the active compound
salicin or salicylic acid. Aspirin is made from salicylic acid among other
things. By drinking the tea you are getting the benefits of the salicylic
acid directly. This works for me but may not work for everyone. You will
have to try it to find out. However if you are allergic to aspirin
products I wouldn’t recommend trying it unless you check with your
doctor first.
If you aren’t interested in harvesting your own leaves or bark you can
purchase the bark and possibly the leaves at some natural herb stores. You
will need to do some research to find out which ones carry it and how much
it costs. When I harvest my leaves, I usually put about 2-3 inches in the
bottom of the bag and that will last me anywhere from 3-5 years.
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