Headache in TCM: Patterns, Herbs and What Actually Helps

Headaches in TCM are sorted by location and by what makes them worse. A dull headache that fades after food is a different animal from a throbbing temple pain that arrives with irritability.

The patterns behind headache

• Liver yang rising with a throbbing crown or temple pain
• Qi and blood deficiency with a dull headache worse when tired
• Wind invasion with a stiff neck at the start

Same complaint, different machinery. That is why a herb that transforms one person's headache can leave another person unchanged: the pattern underneath is not the same.

The herbs most often used

• Peppermint (Bo He): clears head and eyes in wind-heat headache
• Green tea (Lu Cha): lifts the spirit and sharpens the head and eyes
• Ginger (Sheng Jiang): releases the exterior and disperses cold at the first sign of a chill

Acupressure you can do yourself

Massage each of these, yintang, fengchi, hegu, taichong, with a firm circular pressure for about a minute. Soreness that eases as you press is a good sign you are in the right spot.

Food and daily rhythm

On the plate: Regular meals, less alcohol and cheese triggers, chrysanthemum tea for heat-type headaches

In the day: Screen breaks with eye exercises, neck warmth, earlier nights

Herbs work best as part of a pattern, not as a solo act. If your symptoms keep coming back, that is the moment to get a proper TCM diagnosis rather than to keep self-prescribing.