Response of migraine without aura to kudzu

Excerpt

Migraine without aura (MO) is the most frequent form of primary headaches; it has a high prevalence (60–80% of all migraines) and frequently is highly disabling, with a significant impact on the social and working life of patients. Lifetime prevalence is between 2 and 10% in men and between 15 and 25% in women. Typical migraine symptoms are uni- or bilateral attacks of throbbing pain lasting from 4 to 72 h, often accompanied by photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting. Preventive treatment for migraine helps to reduce disability by decreasing the frequency, severity, and duration of migraine attacks, improving patient’s quality of life (Fig. 1). In the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the use of nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) in MO prophylaxis, as an alternative to pharmacological treatments. In addition, some investigations highlighted that people who suffer from headaches often prefer treatment with nutraceuticals over traditional pharmacological approaches, due to fear of possible side effects, drug dependence, or addiction.

…