It’s often hard to find the right remedy for a headache.

Because there are thousands of homeopathic remedies, and just about every single one of them has headache in its symptom profile.

But there are clear leaders.

Start with the most commonly prescribed headache remedies.

There are about a dozen remedies we think of first when someone complains of a headache.

Study these remedies. Try to match at least three characteristics or “keynotes.”

With headaches, how it feels can help you choose the remedy.

 Headaches are often described as throbbing, bursting, splitting dull, pounding, etc.

There are also peculiar sensations, such as feeling as if your head is in a vice. Or as if someone is pulling on your hair.

See what makes the person better or worse. This is called “the modalities.”

If you’re wavering between two remedies go with the modalities.

Modalities are very reliable guideposts.

Remember, someone doesn’t need every single symptom of a remedy for it to match their condition.

Don’t look for a perfect fit. Just the best fit.

Best Homeopathic Remedies for Headaches

Below is a partial list of headache remedies. This is not a substitute for medical care. If you think someone needs medical evaluation for a severe headache trust your instinct. Especially if you don’t know the cause. You can use homeopathic remedies alongside conventional medicine.

• BRYONIA – This is a top headache remedy. The person will probably want to lie perfectly still, preferably by themselves in a dark room. They’re worse by motion. Even moving the eyes may increase their discomfort. Voracious thirst is part of the picture. If someone is always thirsty this symptom doesn’t carry as much weight. But if it suddenly appears with the headache it’s part of the profile. They may be irritable. Ask them a question. You might get a one-word answer, through gritted teeth. Bryonia is a big constipation remedy. The person might also be constipated. Or the headache could caused by constipation. People who need Bryonia often fret about business. They may describe their headache as “bursting, splitting or pounding.” The headache may be right sided or frontal.
• NATRUM MURATICUM – It feels like there are tiny hammers inside your head. (It can also feel like your head is in a vice.) Natrum Muraticum headaches can be severe. So bad the person may temporarily lose their vision. (If this happens please consult a doctor too.) But that’s an extreme manifestation. More typically it’s just a migraine. It may happen after being out too long in the sun. The headache is worse from sunrise to sunset. Just like Bryonia, people who need this remedy want to be left alone. The cause might be grief or emotional upset.
• GELSEMIUM – This is a dull headache that starts in the back of the head. It may be the first sign you’re getting sick. It can feel like a band around the head. Gelsemium is a major flu remedy. But you don’t necessarily have to be ill. Typically the eyelids feel heavy. The person looks droopy and feels drowsy. Their thinking may feel dull. Or they may feel dizzy and weak. Characteristically, they’re not thirsty. In general, they feel better after urinating, being outdoors and lying with their head elevated. The cause could be an emotional shock.
• NUX VOMICA – This is the classical toxic headache. It may be caused by overindulgence in food or drink. Toxic emotions can also put someone in this state. The person is typically irritable doesn’t want to talk. If you offer consolation watch out. Because a stinging remark is headed your way. Particularly notable is the aversion to light, noise and odors. The patient may angrily insist you turn down the television. Or he may yell at the dog to stop barking. (Of course, not everyone fits this stereotype.) Nausea and vomiting are often seen too. Naps bring relief. Strong pressure makes the headache feel better, as does wrapping the head with a cloth. The person will be sensitive to the slightest draft and worse with the covers off.
• SANGUINARIA – This is a top migraine remedy. Pain may start in the back of the head and travel over the right eye. This is stronger for headaches on the right side. But you can still give it for a left-sided headache if the symptoms fit. (But, first, compare it with Iris Versicolor, which has an affinity for left-sided headaches.) Headaches are worse during the day and worse with motion. One feature of the remedy is periodicity. Migraines may come on the same day every week. Or at the same time every day. Sleep and darkness help. Lights, looking upward and raising the arms increases the pain. Usually Bryonia is given first. Think of this if Bryonia doesn’t work and the headache is right sided.
• IRIS VERSICOLOR – This is for left-sided headaches. The person may have eaten a lot of greasy foods. He or she may vomit. The vomit may look stringy and ropy. The headache is often described as sharp and cutting. You feel better with gentle motion. The headache may start as the sun sets. Unlike most headache remedies, Iris Versicolor is worse after resting. (Read up on Sanguinaria for a right-sided headache.) Like Sanguinaria, the headache may come on a fixed schedule.
• SPIGELIA – These headaches are worse by day. They may diminish or disappear by evening. There may be blinding headaches and sun sensitivity, similar to Natrum Muraticum. Spigelia headaches can be violent. They may throb like Belladonna. The head may feel too large. The headaches are generally left sided. The person feels worse from stooping or missing a step. Opening the mouth makes the pain worse.
• BELLADONNA – These headaches often come on suddenly. The person has a flushed face and throbbing head pain, especially in the forehead. The pupils may dilate and the veins on either side of the neck may look larger. Fever may be present. The head feels congested. Someone who needs Belladonna is worse if they are jarred. If you bump the bed it bothers them. Like Nux Vomica, they’re also aggravated by light and noise. The skin will generally feel dry and hot. They will usually have complete appetite loss. But may be voraciously thirsty like Bryonia. (Total aversion to drinking is also possible.)
• ACONITE – This is also a good remedy for a sudden onset headache, similar to Belladonna. It may happen after a shock, fright or exposure to cold dry wind. It may also precede a flu, like Gelsemium and Belladonna. The head may feel heavy and hot. The top of the head may feel as if the hair is being pulled. People will feel better in open air and from rest. They may also be restless and anxious.
• GLONOINE – This looks like Belladonna. But the headache may come on slower, over the course of hours. Like Belladonna the face is flushed. A Glonoine headache can be very intense. It may feel as if the head is going to burst open. Like Nux Vomica, people who need this remedy may be very irritable. I’ve seen people in this state and they are extremely bothered by noise and lights. Mentally, the profile fits Nux Vomica. But the flushed red face makes you think of Glonoine. Being in the sun makes the headache worse. The headache itself may be caused by overexposure to sunlight.
• LACHESIS – This kind of headache looks like Glonoine. It may be brought on by high blood pressure. The sensation may be pounding or bursting. Consider this for someone who wakes up from sleep with a headache. One Lachesis characteristic is ailments are aggravated by sleep. The person will generally be better outdoors and worse from closing their eyes. The person may experience the pain in waves.
• NATRUM SULPHURICUM – The top remedy to consider for someone who has suffered from headaches ever since a head injury. Even if the trauma happened decades ago. In this case the symptoms are not as important as the cause. The person may suffer from photophobia, so they avoid bright sunlight. Depression may be part of the picture.
• IGNATIA – Headaches may appear after grief or emotional disturbance. The person may cry a lot. Or they suffer in silence. Pain appears in small spots. The sensation may feel as if a nail is being driven into the side of the head. Stooping can either aggravate or alleviate the pain. In general, people in this state feel better with deep breathing, eating and sitting near a warm stove.

The above remedies are just some of the top homeopathic remedies for headaches. 

If these don’t work there are others to consider, including Silica, Cocculus, Thuja, Chamomilla and Veratrum Album.

Plus countless smaller remedies listed in the Materia Medica. Use this book to get the full remedy picture. The above descriptions are just snippets.

If you don’t own a Materia Medica you can access information about remedies for free online.

People with chronic headaches will generally get best results working with a homeopath. (Please also get a diagnosis too. This will help with remedy selection.)

You should also consider working with a professional if you choose a couple of headache remedies and they don’t work. Especially if the person also has a nasty flu. It’s much easier to neutralize these illnesses earlier.

Healing acute headaches with homeopathy is very rewarding. Because the condition can shift so fast from intense agony to feeling much better.