TL;DR 

Two small clinical studies suggest that a sublingual combination of ginger and feverfew may help reduce migraine pain when taken at the earliest sign of an attack. An open-label pilot study showed nearly half of participants were pain-free at two hours, and a later double-blind trial found significantly better pain relief compared to placebo. Results are preliminary but encouraging.

Educational purposes only. Not medical advice.

Herbal combinations containing ginger and feverfew have long been used in natural healthcare for migraine support. Two published studies explored whether a proprietary preparation of these herbs might help reduce migraine pain when taken at the earliest sign of an attack.

Open-Label Pilot Study (2005)

An early open-label study published in Medical Science Monitor evaluated a sublingual preparation combining proprietary ginger and feverfew. Open-label means that both the participants and researchers knew what treatment was being used. These studies are considered preliminary and are typically used to determine whether a topic deserves larger controlled trials.

Study Details

  • 30 adults with a one-year history of migraines

  • Averaging 2–8 migraines per month

  • Headaches consistently began mild, then progressed to moderate or severe

  • Participants were instructed to take the herbal preparation at the start of the mild phase

Results

Two hours after taking the product:

  • 48% were pain-free

  • 34% reported their headache remained mild

  • 29% experienced recurrence within 24 hours

The findings suggested potential benefit and helped justify more rigorous trials.

Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study (2011)

A follow-up multi-center study appeared in Headache in 2011. 
This trial used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, which is the gold standard for determining whether a therapy works.

Study Details

  • 60 participants meeting International Headache Society criteria for migraine (with or without aura)

  • 2–6 migraines per month in the previous 3 months

  • Not experiencing medication-overuse headaches

  • Randomized into:

    • 45 subjects receiving the sublingual ginger/feverfew preparation

    • 15 subjects receiving placebo

  • Participants self-treated at the earliest sign of a migraine

During the 30-day study period:

  • The herbal group experienced 163 migraines

  • The placebo group experienced 58 migraines

Results

At 2 hours:

  • 32% of the herbal group were pain-free

  • 16% of the placebo group were pain-free

At 4 hours:

  • 63% of the herbal group were pain-free or had only a mild headache

  • 39% of the placebo group reported similar improvement

Conclusion from the Authors

“Sublingual feverfew/ginger appears safe and effective as a first-line abortive treatment for a population of migraineurs who frequently experience mild headache prior to the onset of moderate to severe headache.”

Takeaway

While these studies are relatively small, they suggest that a sublingual ginger/feverfew combination may offer benefit for some people when used at the very early stage of a migraine. Larger studies would be needed to confirm these findings.