Study on the effectiveness of Ayurveda for migraines

This article reviews the clinical evidence on the use of Ayurveda in the treatment of migraine, a debilitating primary headache disorder with significant economic and societal impact. The authors conducted a literature search from January 2000 to July 2020, focusing on clinical studies on the treatment of migraine with Ayurvedic treatments. Of the 77 studies reviewed, 12 met the selection criteria, including six randomized controlled trials (RCTs), five non-RCTs and one pilot study. These studies predominantly used polytherapeutic and herbo-mineral formulations, external therapies and panchakarma procedures. The results suggest that Ayurveda is clinically beneficial both as a monotherapy and as an adjunct to conventional treatment in the management of migraine, with few side effects. However, the review pointed out several limitations, such as small sample sizes, short follow-up periods and insufficient outcome measures. Future research should take these limitations into account and use robust methods to draw definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of Ayurveda in migraine treatment.