[MPWG] spearmint and migraine

Wed Nov 17 02:27:28 CST 2004

For my work on Mentha and Migraine,please visit at
Traditional medicinal knowledge about Pudina (Mentha sp. Family: Labiatae), in Chhattisgarh, India
http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/265_mentha.html

regards
Pankaj Oudhia
http://www.pankajoudhia.com

Bob Beyfuss <rlb14 at cornell.edu> wrote:
 Please reply directly to Marjorie at mintresearch at yahoo.com  if you have interest or helpful information
Bob

Marjorie T. Nieh, Rensselaer, NY

My Personal Experience with Spearmint and Migraine Headaches. 

Since as a child, I suffered from headache attacks.  When in Wilmington, DE in the 1980's I began to have severe migraine headache attacks that would last three days. Up to eight pills of aspirin @325mg/day were ineffective (contrast with "Efficacy of 1,000mg effervescent acetylsalicylic acid and sumatriptan in treating associated migraine symptoms," Diener, Eikermann, Gessner, Gobel, Haag, Lange, Eur. Neurol, 2004, 52(1): 50-6). In the 1990's, the headaches occurred several times/month.  High humidity and low pressure are some of the factors that affect my headaches (see Headache, June 2004, 44(6): 596-602). In addition, the mood is another factor: body and mind connection certainly plays a part.

>From 1999-2001, I was administered with 400mg riboflavin/day as prophylaxis (J. Schoenen, M.Lenaerts and J. Jacquy, Neurology, 50: 466-470, Feb., 1998, Boehnke, Flach, Schuh-Hofer, Einhaupl, Eur. J. Neurol. July 2004, 11 (7): 475-7). Although the frequency of headaches was reduced, there was no complete cure.  One day in the summer of 2001, I drank 5-6 cups of the brewed spearmint tea, which miraculously cleared my headache immediately. Thereafter, I harvested the mint, air dried ("Influence of drying on the flavor quality of spearmint, Mentha spicata L." Diaz-Maroto, Perez-Coello, Gonzalez et.al., J. Agric. Food Chem., Feb. 2003, 26:51(5): 1265-9) and drank the tea as a refresher. I have had no migraine problem since then. 

I believe this discovery, that brewed spearmint tea, a very easily prepared remedy, is a treatment as well as prophylaxis for migraine, is significant and needs further research. 

The local Cornell Cooperative Extension has identified the mint plant as a spearmint variety: Mentha spicata, syn. M. viridis or M. arvenis, syn. M. smithiana.

This species is cultivated in North America, Germany and Holland (http://www.cis.um.edu.mt/~phcy/symp/lilibarb.htm, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbhunters/spearmint.html) whose major chemical component is (R)-(-) Carvone (~75%) with minor components: cineole, limonene, myrcene, phellandrene and caryophyllene (http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential_oils/spearmint.htm). The enantiomer (S)-(+) carvone is caraway seed oil. 

Spearmint and peppermint oils, extracted by steam distilling the flowering tops, are commercially available. A migraine preventative tea manufactured by Cherokee Valley Herbs & Medicinalsâ consists of feverfew, meadowsweet, black cohosh, wild yam, skullcap, St. John’s Wort, stevia, peppermint and spearmint leaves and essential oil (http://cherokeevalley.com/products.html). 

Although much literature has been written on peppermint (menthol) and spearmint (carvone) treating nausea, fevers, colds, there has been no scientific research study done on mint treating migraine, or specifically, any mechanism on the subject. It is my belief that the brewed mint tea remedy could replace the current migraine medications, which often associate with side effects, or current herbal remedy, e.g. feverfew, that is also associated with unpleasant side effects. 

Something about myself: I am a Ph.D. organic chemist (Purdue University; Post-doctoral research in organic chemistry: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue, Brookhaven National Laboratory) who has extensive basic and applied research experience with several corporations in the past (DuPont, Eastman Kodak and smaller corporations), and an adjunct professor with the area universities in the Albany, NY area (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Albany, Hudson Valley College) in the recent years.  Due to the poor economy of Albany, I am currently seeking other employment.  I would be happy to join your research effort in grant writing, research, outreach, education speaker, etc., as I have considerable experience in these areas.

I look forward to your comments. _______________________________________________
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