Stevia Leaf Extract for Migraine
Written by:
Stevia Leaf Extract for Migraine
Sugar is bad for you. That much we know. So, how do you sweeten your coffee or tea? There’s always honey, but even that is steeped in controversy. Some experts say honey is good for you while others say it’s just another form of sugar. Then there are the “fake” sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. They may give you the sweetness you crave, but at what cost? These substances can even trigger a migraine in some people.
So what is the answer? Is there a way to get the sweetness you want without sacrificing your health and wellbeing?
Stevia seems to be a viable solution but is it good for migraine? Let’s take a look and see.
What is stevia leaf extract?
The plant stevia is a member of the chrysanthemum family and it’s the leaf of the plant that is used for sweetening foods and beverages. Commercially packaged stevia products do contain stevia leaf, but also tend to contain high concentrations of a stevia leaf extract that is called Reb-A (rebaudioside A). This extract makes the product about 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
Research
There are no claims that stevia directly treats any specific conditions. However, some trials do highlight the plant’s role in helping to lower blood sugar and in combating other health conditions. Stevia research is still fairly new, but the results are promising.
One study used 19 lean, healthy participants and 12 obese participants to test stevia, aspartame, and sucralose on food intake. The study concluded that stevia intake significantly contributed to lowering both glucose and insulin levels. Participants also reported feeling full and satisfied after eating.
Another study found that stevia may be effective in the management of cholesterol.
Why is stevia a better sweetener for Thuswell?
Stevia leaf is included in the Thuswell blend so that you get the benefit of sweetness without the negative impact on
Stevia may not directly prevent migraine or even affect migraine pain, but what makes it a valuable part of Thuswell is that it does not trigger migraine. This means that using stevia leaf extract for migraine is a very smart move.
Sugar can be a significant migraine trigger, so can sucralose, and aspartame is probably the worst. With all the potential triggers out there, it doesn’t leave much by way of a sweetener. Stevia fills the bill – deliciously.
Each glass of Thuswell has a blend of ingredients that are designed to help prevent migraine and even help reduce migraine pain. It’s the stevia that makes it sweetly delicious. Stir yourself up a big glass each morning and you too could have fewer migraine days.
READ THIS NEXT
Magnesium and Migraine: Can Magnesium Help Prevent Headaches?
CoQ10 for Migraine? Yes, It Helps (2023)
6 Vitamins for Migraine Relief in 2023 (Backed By Science)
Written by:
There simply haven’t been enough people tested or enough research to show proof–not that there isn’t proof as the comments attest to. I get almost instant migraines from stevia. It is actually my only food trigger. I hate that articles like this keep pushing stevia; which pushed all the electrolyte companies to change their formulas over the last 5 years. I require extra electrolytes for one of my conditions and capsule form isn’t the best due to potential osmotic channel changes; intestinal issues depending when the capsule degrades and where.
Stevia comes from one of the most known allergenic species. It’s silly to think that it doesn’t cause migraines or wouldn’t be likely to.
You are correct that research around Stevia is relatively new, but the results are promising. Unfortunately, migraine and it’s triggers are so individual with things like environment and stress levels varying so much, that our migraine community cannot recommend a one size fits all treatment option. Products must be tried, results contemplated and a treatment “recipe” determined for each individual with the help of professional health care workers. We wish all our customers luck with finding the right treatments for them because migraine is no joke.
Informative article. Like most commented, I get instant headaches and migraines from Stevia. Are you saying that the way you extract the stevia in your product it does not trigger a migraine?
No, we did not extract stevia any differently than is typical for our supplement drink. If stevia is a trigger for your migraine then our drink mix would have likely been a trigger as well. Fortunately, the thuswell products we currently carry contain zero stevia.
Stevia definitely triggers a very bad headache for me…. maybe not as intense as a migraine, but definitely close to it. I usually can avoid products with Stevia hidden in it. The last 2 days I have been taking a turmeric liquid for joint pain (which they say to take mixed in water and downed in one gulp). I found it unusually sweet but didn’t think anything of it. Both mornings I woke up with a very bad headache, and then it dawned on me. Sure enough, after reading the label, I found Stevia is used as a sweetener. I never would have thought they needed to sweeten a turmeric pain relief liquid, but now I’m tossing it in the trash. Makes no sense to take the turmeric liquid [Manna, btw] for natural pain relief, and then need to take several rounds of Excedrine for the resulting headache.
Thank you for sharing.
I was using it in my coffee twice a day & I had bad headaches & didnt know what was causing it till I cut it almost out
Thank you for sharing.
When will your cbd oil be instock to buy for migraines? I’m wating to purchase some, and try it. I suffer badly.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
For most people, Stevia is a great substitute sweetener! But Stevia most definitely does trigger migraines for others. It took me over 4 years to realize my summer increase in migraines, and occasionally triggered migraines after seemingly unrelated food choices all came down to ragweed and it’s umbrella family as being the culprit! I can’t even enjoy chamomile tea, feverfew, even some types of sage. Stevia is a part of the ragweed family. Just today I bought some yogurt from Costco with no added sugars. Silly me didn’t read the label and ate one when we got home. Boom, migraine after 20 min, stevia on the label. Usually I’m better about double checking but I failed today.
Thank you for sharing. Triggers are indeed very individual.
I have the same problem, everybody told me, take stevia instead o sugar or other substitute sweetener and BOOM migraine headache an hour late. So I decide It should be sugar in very small quantity or nothing, but forget any substitute sweetener, it is not worthy.
Triggers are so individual. Thank you for sharing!
Agree, Any artificial sweeteners will trigger my migraines. I use a little bit of sugar instead. I’d rather have a few calories than a migraine.
I have the same problem with Stevia sweetened foods and drinks. Moderate use of sugar has never caused this. I know my food triggers with an emphasis on tyramine.
Wow, thank you for posting this. I had NO idea why Stevia triggered migraines for me. This is a revelation!
I’m so glad you figured it out!
I mostly use honey and maple syrup to sweeten things, and those seem to work well. The shorter the ingredient list, the better I seem to fare.
No, STEVIA DOES NOT “TRIGGER” HEADACHES. What was the name of the product you were taking? There is NO SCIENCE proving that Stevia causes headaches. AT ALL. PERIOD.
Yes, the research surrounding Stevia is fairly new, but the results indicating that it is not a huge trigger for migraine are encouraging. However, we recognize that migraine is very individual and that it’s not impossible that Stevia could be a trigger for some.