The treatment of migraine headaches with Chinese medicine

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2005 by Bob Flaws

Study outcomes:

Cure was defined as elimination of headaches and no recurrence for one year. Improvement was defined as an obvious decrease in the frequency and duration of headaches. Based on these criteria, 74 cases were judged cured and the other 22 cases were improved. Therefore, the total effectiveness rate was 100%.

Study 4: From "The Chinese Medicinal Treatment of 48 Cases of Premenstrual Migraine" by Sun Hong-li, Xin Zhong Yi (New Chinese Medicine), #2, 2003, p. 52-53

Cohort description:

All the patients enrolled in this study were seen as outpatients at Ping Ding Shan Municipal Chinese Medical Hospital in Henan province. There were 48 patients in the treatment group and 48 patients in a comparison group. In the treatment group, the patients were 16-35 years of age, with an average age of 25 years. Eighteen cases had been experiencing premenstrual migraines for one year or less, 20 had had premenstrual migraines for 2-5 years, and 10 cases had had premenstrual migraines for more than five years. In the comparison group, the patients were 18-36 years old, with an average age of 26. Twenty-one of these women had had premenstrual migraines for a year or less, 19 for 2-5 years, and eight for more than five years. Therefore, in terms of these two groups age, disease duration, and symptoms, there were no statistically significant differences.

Treatment method:

The treatment group was treated with the principles of nourishing the blood and emolliating the liver, extinguishing wind and freeing the flow of the network vessels. The formula they received consisted of:

Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Bai Shao (Radix Albus Paeoniae Lactiflorae), Chuan Xiong (Radix Ligustici Wallichii), Ju Hua (Flos Chrysanthemi Morifolii), Man Jing Zi (Fructus Viticis), Yu Jin (Tuber Curcumae), and Shi Chang Pu (Rhizoma Acori Graminei), 12g each, Sheng Di (uncooked Radix Rehmanniae Glutionosae), Gui Ban (Plastrum Testudinis), Tian Men Dong (Tuber Asparagi Cochinensis), Di Long (Lumbricus), Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsitis Pilosulae), and Huan gQi (Radix Astragali Membranacei), 15g each, Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae Ningpoensis), 25g, Wu Gong (Scolopendra Subspinipes), 1 strip, and Quan Xie (Buthus Martensis) and Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis), 10g each. These medicinals were begun 10 days before the onset of menstruation. One packet was decocted in water and administered per day and taken until the onset of menstruation. This constituted one course of treatment and three successive courses were given.

The comparison group received one tablet of ergotamine one time per day. If headache was severe, it was sometimes necessary for the patient to take 1-2 tablets. However, patients were counseled not to take more than a total of 12 tablets per week. In addition, the patients in this group also received 0.5g of aspirin TID and 10mg of an unidentifiable hydrochloride fluorsilicate compound once per day. This treatment likewise commenced 10 days before the onset of menstruation and continued until the menses arrived. These patients also received three successive courses of this treatment.