Every year in the United States, headaches account for:

• • 20 million visits to the doctor
• • 156 million missed workdays
• • Close to $400 million spent on over-the-counter pain relievers

This common malady can be caused by a wide variety of factors, but is most commonly the result of tension in the head and neck muscles that produces a dull ache. A much more painful and debilitating type of headache, the migraine, is caused by dilation of the blood vessels.

Today, over-the-counter painkillers like aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen sodium are the most widely used headache treatments. But every culture has developed its own ways of dealing with them, and, as a result, there are many natural remedies. Here are some of the best:

Alfalfa seed. In Mexico, headache sufferers ease the pain with alfalfa seed tea.

Birch bark. The bark of birch trees is commonly used as a pain reliever by American Indians. And despite the fat that aspirin is inexpensive and readily available, people in rural parts of Europe and the United States still chew the salicylate-rich bark of the willow and black poplar trees to cure their headaches.

Chinese angelica/Dong quai. A Chinese version of angelica called dong quai is used by herbalists to relieve headaches. Make a medicinal tea by boiling one large slice of dried dongquai root in 2 cups of water, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Remove the root (save it—you can use it again) and then sip the liquid.

Chrysanthemum tea. In India and China, tension headaches are soothed by drinking a tea made with dried yellow chrysanthemum. Pre-packaged tea bags are available in most healthfood stores.

Copper. Some researchers believe that a low-copper diet may cause headaches in susceptible people. The theory is that a copper deficiency makes the blood vessel walls constrict and cause pain. Good food sources of copper include oysters, lobster, liver, nuts, seeds, green olives, and wheat bran.

Cowslip. Cowslip, which grows wild in nearly all pastures and meadows, is a gentle pain reliever (a good source of natural aspirin) common throughout Europe, Siberia, western Asia, and North Africa. A tea made of cowslip petals, honey, sugar, and lemon juice is a tasty treatment for headaches. Cowslip can be bought in cut or powdered form through most mailorder herb companies and health food stores. The seeds and live plants are also commercially available.

Ginger. Ginger tea is used in parts of Africa to treat headaches. You can make it by grating and squeezing gingerroot to extract the juice. Then add about a teaspoon of the juice to a cup of hot water.

Heat. Next time you have a headache, try applying a heat pack to the back of your neck. Or try a hot, ankle-deep footbath, which works for headaches as well as head congestion.

Honey. Honey, which has natural pain-relieving powers, is a traditional Chinese remedy for headache. Eat the honey straight out of the jar, or mix three large spoonfuls in boiled water and drink. The Chinese also raid the kitchen for fresh radishes, buckthorn berries, licorice, cinnamon, mint leaves, and orange peels (and don’t forget the ginger!) to ease their throbbing heads.

CAUTION: Honey is not recommended for people with low or high blood sugar.

Lemon balm. Europeans use fragrant lemon balm to reduce tension headaches. One way to do it is to rub a leaf between your fingers and then rub your temples or forehead.

Mint. The Chinese and Vietnamese have long used peppermint and spearmint to treat nervousness, which often causes headaches. Since spearmint is an antispasmodic and diuretic, it is also good for headaches related to menstrual problems. The Chinese make a tea by boiling equal weights of peppermint and crushed scallion heads in water. The Vietnamese opt for straight spearmint tea, or a spearmint soup made by cooking tender, fresh spearmint leave in water with eggs to make a type of egg-drop soup.

Marjoram. A marjoram massage is recommended by many aroma therapists for headache pain. Add about 10 drops of essential oil of marjoram to 1/2 cup of skin-safe oil (like oliveoil or almond oil) to make your own topical ointment.

Rosemary. To relieve the dull throb of a stress headache, aroma therapists recommend a massage with the essential oil of rosemary. Herbalists prefer to use the fresh herb as a tea.

Rosemary contains soothing rosmaricine, which is non-irritating to the stomach.

Vinegar. The British soak compresses with vinegar, chill them, and apply them to the forehead, temples and neck. You can also ease headache pain by boiling equal parts vinegar and water and inhaling the rising steam.

Violet petals. The ancient Romans and Greeks used sweet and spicy violet petals to get rid of headaches. They ate the fresh petals, brewed them into a tea, or soaked them in a glass of wine. Violet petal tea is available in health food stores.

Yerba mate. A South American remedy is soothing Paraguayan tea, which is made by steeping the finely ground leaves of the yerba mate plant in hot water. Drink one cup early in the day, hot or cold, plain or sweetened, with or without lemon or milk.

Put Your Headache Under Pressure

In Asia, healers treat headaches with acupuncture, and self-healers have learned how to treat themselves by applying pressure in very precise ways. Check out some of the tried-and-true methods described below.

• • In Korea, they tie a kerchief tightly around the head just above the eyebrows. This may work by restricting blood flow and preventing dilation of blood vessels in the scalp that are responsible for some headaches.
• • In China, they massage a spot on the brow bone. Try this yourself by locating the small depression that’s just above the pupil of your eye. Then press with your fingertips, rotating clockwise for 30 seconds.

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