Condition

Migraine Headache

A migraine is a recurring, often one-sided headache that can bring nausea and sensitivity to light and sound, driven by abnormal brain activity, blood-vessel changes and inflammation. Among supplements, the evidence is moderate for butterbur, where attacks fell by 48% versus 26% on placebo, and for vitamin D, where migraine frequency went down, though a riboflavin trial found no clear difference. Vitamin D's study was small, so these findings are tentative.

Sources: PMID 9484373

Supplements studied: 17
Graded outcomes: 15
Trials: 30
People studied: 4,223

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

17 supplements

Vitamin D

Vitamin D: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Migraine Frequency Small Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		122 people
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)			122 people

Butterbur

Butterbur: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Migraine Frequency RCT (n=245, PMID: 15623680): 75mg twice daily reduced migraine attacks by 48% vs 26% placebo. AAN/AHS guidelines previously rated it Level A for migraine prevention.	Improves (the measure goes down)	Moderate effect		400 people

Melatonin

Insomnia Signs and Symptoms: improves
Migraine Frequency: improves
Migraine Duration: improves

Melatonin: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Insomnia Signs and Symptoms Large Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Large effect	5 studies	48 people
Studies that measured insomnia signs and symptoms The effect of prolonged-release melatonin on sleep measures and psychomotor performance in elderly patients with insomniaInt Clin Psychopharmacol · PMID 19584739 Evaluation of sleep, puberty and mental health in children with long-term melatonin treatment for chronic idiopathic childhood sleep onset insomniaPsychopharmacology · PMID 21340475 Prolonged-release melatonin improves sleep quality and morning alertness in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older and has no withdrawal effectsJ Sleep Res · PMID 18036082 and 2 more on the Melatonin page
	Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	244 people
Studies that measured migraine frequency Randomised clinical trial comparing melatonin 3 mg, amitriptyline 25 mg and placebo for migraine prevention.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry · PMID 27165014
	Migraine Duration	Improves (the measure goes down)			196 people
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)			196 people
	Sleep Quality	Improves (the measure goes up)			48 people

Peppermint

Headaches: improves
Irritability: improves
Subjective Well-Being: improves

Peppermint: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Headaches Moderate Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Moderate effect	2 studies	32 people
Studies that measured headaches Effectiveness of Oleum menthae piperitae and paracetamol in therapy of headache of the tension typeNervenarzt · PMID 8805113 Effect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parametersCephalalgia · PMID 7954745
	Irritability	Improves (the measure goes down)			32 people
	Subjective Well-Being	Improves (the measure goes up)			32 people

Fish Oil

Migraine Frequency: improves
TNF-Alpha: improves

Fish Oil: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Migraine Frequency Moderate Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Moderate effect		38 people
	TNF-Alpha	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	38 people
Studies that measured tnf-alpha Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation improves vascular function and reduces inflammation in obese adolescentsAtherosclerosis · PMID 20727522 The synergistic effects of ω-3 fatty acids and nano-curcumin supplementation on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α gene expression and serum level in migraine patientsImmunogenetics · PMID 28478481

Coenzyme Q10

Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide: improves
Interleukin 6: improves
Migraine Frequency: improves

Coenzyme Q10: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Calcitonin Gene-related Peptide Small Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		45 people
	Interleukin 6	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	45 people
Studies that measured interleukin 6 Oral coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with migraine: Effects on clinical features and inflammatory markersNutr Neurosci · PMID 29298622 The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on cardiometabolic markers in overweight type 2 diabetic patients with stable myocardial infarction: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trialARYA Atheroscler · PMID 28149310
	Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	324 people
Studies that measured migraine frequency A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover, add-on study of CoEnzyme Q10 in the prevention of pediatric and adolescent migraineCephalalgia · PMID 21586650 The synergistic effects of nano-curcumin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trialNutr Neurosci · PMID 31241007
	Nausea Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	122 people
Studies that measured nausea symptoms Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trialNeurology · PMID 15728298 Effectiveness of coenzyme Q10 in prophylactic treatment of migraine headache: an open-label, add-on, controlled trialActa Neurol Belg · PMID 27670440
	Interleukin 10	Improves (the measure goes up)			45 people
	Migraine Duration	Improves (the measure goes down)			324 people
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)			324 people
	TNF-Alpha	Improves (the measure goes down)			45 people

Selenium

Migraine Frequency: improves
Migraine Severity: improves
Nitric Oxide: improves

Selenium: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Outcome	Effect	Size	People
Migraine Frequency Small Decrease	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect	72 people
Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		72 people
Nitric Oxide	Improves (the measure goes up)		72 people

L-Carnitine

Anxiety Symptoms: improves
Depression Symptoms: improves
Migraine Severity: improves

L-Carnitine: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Anxiety Symptoms Small Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		72 people
	Depression Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	72 people
Studies that measured depression symptoms Acetyl-L-Carnitine Supplementation and the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisPsychosom Med · PMID 29076953 L-Acetylcarnitine in dysthymic disorder in elderly patients: a double-blind, multicenter, controlled randomized study vs. fluoxetineEur Neuropsychopharmacol · PMID 23428336
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	205 people
Studies that measured migraine severity Acetyl-l-carnitine versus placebo for migraine prophylaxis: A randomized, triple-blind, crossover studyCephalalgia · PMID 25601916 The effects of magnesium, L-carnitine, and concurrent magnesium-L-carnitine supplementation in migraine prophylaxisBiol Trace Elem Res · PMID 22895810
	Migraine Duration	Improves (the measure goes down)			205 people
	Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)			205 people

Magnesium

Cramps
Migraine Severity: improves
Pre-Eclampsia Risk: changes; see studies

Magnesium: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Cramps No effect		NoneNo effect	8 studies	157 people
Studies that measured cramps Magnesium for skeletal muscle crampsCochrane Database Syst Rev · PMID 32956536 Does oral magnesium substitution relieve pregnancy-induced leg crampsEur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol · PMID 18768245 The effect of magnesium infusion on rest cramps: randomized controlled trial.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci · PMID 21289017 and 5 more on the Magnesium page
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	258 people
Studies that measured migraine severity The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without auraMagnes Res · PMID 18705538 Comparative study of magnesium, sodium valproate, and concurrent magnesium-sodium valproate therapy in the prevention of migraine headaches: a randomized controlled double-blind trial.J Headache Pain · PMID 33827421
	Pre-Eclampsia Risk	Changes; see studies		2 studies	157 people
Studies that measured pre-eclampsia risk Oral Magnesium Supplementation for the Prevention of Preeclampsia: a Meta-analysis or Randomized Controlled Trials.Biol Trace Elem Res · PMID 34775542 Magnesium supplementation and preeclampsia in low-income pregnant women - a randomized double-blind clinical trial.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth · PMID 32272914
	Migraine Duration	Improves (the measure goes down)			150 people
	Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)			189 people

Feverfew

Migraine Frequency
Migraine Duration
Migraine Severity: improves

Feverfew: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Migraine Frequency No effect		NoneNo effect	4 studies	406 people
Studies that measured migraine frequency Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraineBr Med J · PMID 3929876 The efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis--a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response studyCephalalgia · PMID 12230594 Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine preventionLancet · PMID 2899663 and 1 more on the Feverfew page
	Migraine Duration No effect		NoneNo effect		389 people
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)			219 people

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Migraine Frequency
Migraine Duration
Migraine Severity: improves

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Migraine Frequency No effect		NoneNo effect	1 study	181 people
Studies that measured migraine frequency Effectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trialNeurology · PMID 9484373
	Migraine Duration No effect		NoneNo effect		145 people
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	90 people
Studies that measured migraine severity Medium-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic agent in children with migraine: a preliminary placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trialCephalalgia · PMID 20974610 High-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trialJ Child Neurol · PMID 18984840

Probiotics

Migraine Duration
Migraine Frequency: improves
Migraine Severity: improves

Probiotics: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Outcome	Effect	Size	People
Migraine Duration No effect		NoneNo effect	120 people
Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)		120 people
Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		120 people

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Migraine Duration
Migraine Frequency: changes; see studies
Migraine Severity: changes; see studies

Alpha-Lipoic Acid: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
Migraine Duration No effect on migraine duration		NoneNo effect		123 people
Migraine Frequency	Changes; see studies		1 study	123 people
Migraine Severity	Changes; see studies			123 people

Chaste tree

PMS Symptoms: improves

Chaste tree: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	PMS Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		9 studies	100 people

Lavender

Migraine Severity: improves

Lavender: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Migraine Severity	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	47 people

Inulin

Migraine Frequency: improves

Inulin: outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Migraine Frequency	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	80 people

Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA)

Migraine Frequency: changes; see studies

Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA): outcomes studied for Migraine Headache
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Migraine Frequency	Changes; see studies		1 study	80 people

Key findings

Migraine FrequencyVitamin DImproves (the measure goes down)
Insomnia Signs and SymptomsMelatoninImproves (the measure goes down)
HeadachesPeppermintImproves (the measure goes down)

The Migraine Headache protocol

2 primary supplements · 6 supporting supplements

Magnesium400–600 mg daily (citrate, glycinate, or oxide)
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)400 mg daily

See the full protocol

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Studies cited

4 studies from PubMed

Nutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trialJ Headache Pain · PMID 25339342
Efficacy of biofeedback for migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Complement Ther Med · PMID 40064357
A Low FODMAP Gluten-Free Diet Improves Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Overall Mental Health of Celiac Disease Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialNutrients · PMID 30081576
Efficacy of regular sauna bathing for chronic tension-type headache: a randomized controlled study.J Altern Complement Med · PMID 25636135

Evidence by supplement

Key findings

The Migraine Headache protocol

Shop the evidence-backed picks

Studies cited

Related conditions

Supplement stack for Migraine Headache