Grape Seed Extract: We’re still talking about it for migraine…

With your excellent memory, you probably remember that we were talking about grape seed extract ten years ago, thanks to research at Missouri State University. Well, it’s still being researched.

You’re probably more familiar with this supplement as “heart friendly”. Improving blood flow and circulation, for example. It’s also an antioxidant.

Now migraine is highly connected to heart and circulation issues. But Missouri State University is back with a new study that suggests that grape seed extract may help “to inhibit trigeminal activation”.

Basically, researchers were looking at a couple of conditions – migraine, and TMD – temporomandibular joint disorders. The pain cycle involves “activation”, which means that your body responds to stimuli. Sometimes it’s responding to an injury, or sometimes apparently to nothing at all. There may be inflammation and pain.

So in the case of jaw pain or migraine, you want to calm down the vicious cycle of pain as much as you can. And according to the recent study, grape seed extract can do that.

Grape seed extract has not become wildly popular for a couple of reasons. First, it’s still being studied, and so for many the verdict is still out. Second, there are some limitations. For example, you may have seen that you should avoid taking vitamin C at the same time, or blood thinners, or even NSAIDs such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Basically, if you have high blood pressure or some other cardiovascular problems, you should talk to your doctor first.

As always, it’s important to do your research before taking a supplement. The supplement used in this study was a polyphenol?enriched grape seed extract. You’ll usually find information on the label, such as “a minimum of 90% Polyphenols”. A typical dose is between 100mg and 400mg.

Like some supplements, you’ll also find that for some people they help a lot, and for others they may actually trigger a migraine attack.

Some of the most well-rated brands currently include Pure Synergy SuperPure Grape Seed Extract, Zazzee Grape Seed Extract, and NOW Supplements Grape Seed Standardized Extract. These are good places to start your research. But remember, talk to your doctor and consider this as a possible complimentary migraine treatment. It seems to work well for some people, but we await further research before it becomes a mainstream treatment.