[an error occurred while processing this directive]
acupuncture and herbs for headaches
headaches benefit from acupuncture and herbs
Index to This Headache
  • Location of Headache
  • Herb Formula
  • Tongue Appearance
  • Similar Syndromes
  • Explanation of Mechanism
  • Other Symptoms
  • Applicable Diseases
  • Cautions and Warnings
  • Usage and Prognosis
  • How to Obtain this Formula

  • BeyondWellBeing Home
  • TCM for Headaches Home
  • about Beyond Well Being
  • about Al Stone, L.Ac.

  • radiating from neck
  • forehead
  • sinuses
  • behind the eyes
  • temples
  • one sided
  • top of the head

  • radiating from neck
  • Empty feeling (see fatigue)
  • Sharp pain fixed in location
  • With stiff shoulders (acute)
  • With stiff shoulders (chronic)
  • Throbbing
  • Heavy sensation
  • Dull pain (see fatigue)

  • stress
  • menopause
  • cold or damp weather
  • fatigue
  • PMS
  • dull and throbbing
  • during period
  • after period
  • dry windy weather
  • allergies
  • common cold
  • flu
  • standing upright
  • laying down

  • morning
  • the afternoon
  • the evening
  • sleep period
  • pre-dawn hours

  • cold hands and feet
  • hypothyroidism
  • frequent urination
  • prefers warm drinks
  • prefers cold drinks
  • often thirsty
  • night sweats
  • hot flashes
  • menopause
  • dry mouth or throat
  • better when laying down
  • when hungry
  • after period
  • high blood pressure

  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • lack of appetite
  • phlegm after eating
  • arthritis
  • physical trauma
  • purple beneath eyes
  • sharp pain fixed location
  • chills more than fever
  • fever more than chills
  • facial tics
  • testicular pain
  • Headaches due to Cold in the Liver Channel

    Location of headache: at the very top of the head.

    jue yin type headache

    Herb Formula: Wu Zhu Yu Tang (Evodia Decoction)

    Tongue Appearance: Pale with white slippery coating. The tongue associated with the syndrome that gives rise to the vertex headache indicates internal cold. The cold in the body either prevents the Qi energy from rising to the tongue to give it color. Internal cold may be due to too much cold, or not enough warmth. It could go either way. This is important in its treatment, knowing if it is a lack of metabolic heat or some cold energy that has gotten inside.

    pale color tongue body

    Internal cold may also manifest with a tongue that has a slightly blue color to it as is indicated by the bottom image to the right. Blue is generally the color associated with cold in TCM. For the record, red means heat.

    blue-purple tongue body color

    Also see:
    With nausea or dizziness: Phlegm
    With nausea or dizziness: Qi and Blood deficiency
    Better when laying down: Qi and Blood deficiency
    Radiates from back of head: Cold-damp
    With dizziness: Yang deficiency
    With dizziness: Yin deficiency

    Explanation: This headache is likely going to be aggravated by cold weather as it is due to cold energy blocking the flow of Qi in the Liver channel which has a branch that connects to the very top of the head. This cold can also get into the stomach and cause retching or vomiting of clear fluids. This formula will address this issue as well.

    Other symptoms: retching or vomiting of saliva or mucus immediately after eating, acid regurgitation, abdominal pain, fullness in the stomach.

    Applicable diseases: gastritis, morning sickness, stress induced headache, Meniere's's disease.

    Cautions and warnings: This formula can cause vomiting (even though it is actually treating vomiting). If this happens, lower the dosage, drink the tea cold, or try it in pill or capsule form.

    Usage and prognosis: I've seen this formula completely remove this headache inside of one week. Depending on how strong the individual is beneath the pathology will likely be an important part of the prognosis. If you're young and strong and in otherwise good health, one week of this therapy should do the trick, especially if you've only had this headache a short time such as less than one month. However, if you're 70 years old and have had this problem for 30 years, it may take a little bit longer. I still believe that this is generally an easy situation to address and a positive outcome should be realized inside of one month. If there are other confounding conditions of cold going on underneath the Liver channel cold, this process may take longer.

    How to obtain your formula: You can purchase the formula mentioned in this article by simply clicking on its name. Another option is to obtain this formula modified for your unique situation.

    Other locations to purchase this formula include your friendly neighborhood Chinese herb pharmacy. You'll likely need to live near a Chinatown to obtain your herbs there. They'll probably come in raw form (twigs, branches, etc.) and you'll have to take them home and cook them into a nasty tasting brew. This may provide the strongest medical efficacy, but it is also the most hassle.

    In some cases, the formulas that are described in these articles are available in premade capsule, tablet, or pill form. The name of the formula may be spelled or described slightly different, and I can't really anticipate how they'll end up looking on the package, but they too are out there, most frequently at those Chinese herb pharmacies, but often at health food stores or stores that target consumers of natural or organic products.

    Finally, acupuncture and TCM schools tend to carry a rather extensive stock of these kinds of herbal medicines. Most of them have a clinic for people to come in and get treatments. Here's a list of the schools, perhaps there is one near you... TCM schools. Here are some herb suppliers too, they may be able to provide you some help in locating your formula: Herb Suppliers.

    Santa Monica acupuncture and herbs

    HOME | BLOG
    IBS | Headaches
    Contact | About | Al | Policies
    Testimonials | Support | Prognosis-O-Rama
    Customized Formulas TCM Style

    Premixed Herbal Solutions
    Restless Legs | Liver Detox | Kudzu and Liver | OnHealthy
    Digestive | Herbs for Menopausal Hot Flashes and Irritability


    © Al Stone 1995-2012 All Rights Reserved and Stuff
    liver-channel.shtml was last modified Jun 03 2010.
    Still reading? Stalk me on Twitter.
    Site written by Google author Dr. Al Stone

    PO Box 3571, Santa Monica, CA, 90408-3571