An overview of headache treatments during the tenth century

ABSTRACT

Although the history of treating headaches spans thousands of years, scientists during the tenth century made unique and significant contributions to understanding, treating, and preventing the development of headaches. In fact, the tenth century saw the ability to differentiate between types of headache and treatments for the first time. This article looks at the contributions of Persian, Anglo-Saxon, and Chinese medicine to the diagnosis and treatment of different types of headaches in the tenth century. It does so with reference to a range of herbal, surgical, and pharmacological methods of treating this ailment. The article also uncovers how tenth-century herbal remedies were effective at explaining the properties of their ingredients in modern terms and concepts including analgesia, anti-inflammation, and antinociception, and explores the way tenth-century treatments relieved painful headaches and prevented their recurrence.

KEYWORDS:

• Acupuncture
• bloodletting
• headaches
• herbal remedies
• medieval period

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

The author reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.