The word “migraine” originates from the Greek word “hemikrania,” meaning “half a skull” — a fitting description, since many who suffer from migraines say their head feels “split in two” from the pain! A migraine headache can incapacitate even the healthiest individual with its pain, nausea, dizziness and blurred vision. It may last anywhere from an hour to three days and affects up to 10% of the population. Though there is no cure, nutrients that increase circulation are often recommended.

One of these nutrients, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), gets top billing for potential migraine relief. At the Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, researchers tested CoQ10 as a preventive treatment for migraines. In this open study, 32 men and women with a history of migraines were given 150 mg of CoQ10 per day for three months.

The results were encouraging: patients experienced a 55.3% reduction in frequency as well as a 50% reduction in duration of their migraines.

Source: Cephalalgia 2002 Mar;22(2):137-41