Is it possible to get a headache from eating too much garlic? I have a HUGE headache. And it’s the only thing I can think I did differently today. Aurgh! I can’t write, it hurts too badly. Maybe I need more coffee. Holy crap, I promise to never do it again. Please go away now.
All i know is that asparagus makes your pee smell bad. I learned that from Austin Powers yesterday. How sad.
my girl, Laura, gets extremely dehydrated from eating garlic, esp. real garlic all nice and chopped in big chunks.. me, not so bad, but i can feel it when i eat a bunch of it.. but hey, screw it. life is short, were relatively young, and garlic is just damn good for you. esp. roasted in tinfoil with a bit of olive oil and salt and yummyness.
oh and she’s not really “MY” girl, I got her on loan from herself.
Grubb,
Are you an idiot? Maybe not, but you sound like one, obviously you’ve never had a migraine. It’s not as easy as saying, “screw it”, or people who have had migraines wouldn’t be commenting. And your conclusion stating how in “screwing it” we just eat it anyway for all it’s “yumminess” states again you haven’t a clue on the migraine food trigger, garlic.
GARLIC can ABSOLUTELY cause headaches. And not only from eating it, but even smelling it can cause headaches. I’m suffering from one right now after just cooking with garlic – didn’t even eat it yet. I’ve had this reaction to garlic my entire life, though I stubbornly still eat it because I love the taste. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!
Try a cup of coffee if you have the onset of headache. I added garlic to my burger earlier and my head started hurting at the back of my head so I searched if garlic could cause headache since I was seeing a pattern after garlic intake so I located these posts. I just drank a cup of coffee and my headache alleviated.
I get terrible migraines after eating garlic. Most of my migraines I can treat, but migraines from garlic cause me to suffer no matter what I try. I’m trying to figure out why, this is how I found your post. There does not seem to be much information on it.
I ate two cloves of garlic last night and got the most severe headache.. i had to throw up. The reason I ate the garlic was to kill parasites if any. My friend had a parasite that caused many things, bloating, fatique, low energy, mood swings. She removed a big one. I was feeling some of these things so i went on line and they said garlic kills them. I eat sushi so I read statistics , I must have them. ANyway i am ot allergic to garlic at all but last night I reacted horribly ..could the parasites be the link to the nausea and extreme headache? I think so..
I’m so glad i found this info, cause i have told several people that i get a headache everytime i consume Garlic. Thanks people for the info, now to find out why?
Same I had a really bad headache at the moment, and used a lot of garlic in my tea last night, have said for a while that I seem to get headaches when I eat bottled crushed garlic and everyone always says can’t be the garlic, it’s good for you, so tonight I ate the left overs and it has come on in force again, and googled and found this, no more for me
Hi,
I’ve SOLVED IT! At least for me. I’ve suffered for years, and I’ve previously posted here.
Basically, I started taking 1 all day antihistamine each morning, and occasionally an additional tablet after a very garlicky meal on with the onset of symptoms. It’s worked. I did some more research…the excess histermine was causing sleeplessness, poor sleep and headaches. This contributed to stress and poor diet (a need for sugar.). This one tablet has reduced all of the symptoms and I can happily eat garlic, pop corn, onions, cheese, fish and chips etc etc. I’m also sleeping, less stressed and far less anxious. Any depression has also lifted. This all makes sense against the research into the effect of excess histamine.
This may not work for all, but it’s worked for me! It’s also reduced substantially IBS and my lactose intolerance. Happy days.
I’d be interested to see if anyone else has found the same.
Chris
Garlic can cause a headache, sometimes severe in some people. I believe I am right in saying it is because garlic thins the blood.
So as well as being good for people with circulation problems, it can cause problems for people with mildly high blood pressure, as increased blood flow CAN cause headache / migraine.
hi guys , i am so happy to know it is common but any one did get a good answer.
i went to a doctor for this case and he said that i should not eat garlic.
he gave me zantac ,damperidone and panadol.
this was not comforting to me and i still look for answers how to overcome this and why it happen.
i used to consume lots of garlic earlier with no problems why now?
Garlic can definitely cause headaches as I’ve had many until I realized garlic was causing them. Garlic does a great job expanding your blood vessels. If there is a nerve close by the expanded blood vessel, it puts pressure on the nerve and causes an excrutiating headache lasting 12 – 16 hours, which is no fun. Since I quit garlic, I’ve never had another one of that nature.
Oh my God! So I’m not alone! I thought something is wrong with me. I wanted to eat garlic because I read how much it help the body fight germs and I need it these days. The moment I swallowed it, my body temperature went up and my head exploded. It hurts so bad! What is the cause??? Does it cause bloating, too? Cause my stomach isn’t very happy either!
My 14 year old son got a severe migraine headache shortly after eating Papa John’s Pizza. He had fought me for the garlic dipping sauce. He has never had headaches or migraines before. Thanks for the info.
garlic and onion’s can cause headache’s in anyone young or old, but not everyone, i suffer from headache’s every time i eat onion’s but garlic even just a small amount put’s me in bed for at lease 3 day’s, i stay away from it as much as i can, make’s going out to dinner hard because i have to ask if there is garlic in whatever i choise, sure wish there was cure, i love the tast and miss the flavor.
I’ve been in and out of Doctor and Dentist’s offices for a little over a year now. They keep throwing drugs at me but nothing seems to work. I decided that I would just change everything that I do on a regular basis and see what happens. I had mentioned to my wife that I think it could be garlic or onions. I stopped garlic and onions and the headaches stopped. I did not want to believe this because I love the two so I made a really strong garlic and onion dinner last night… now I’m dying. Thanks for the blog, I’ll mention it to my Doctor.
Hi all
Garlic is well known for its flavour enhancing quality as well as several medicinal uses. It has been claimed by many many folks that it cures cancer. However garlic supplementation is to be used with caution as it is a very potent herb contatining sulphur compounds. One study 3 years ago by a doctor ( Bob something) said that it kills brain cells and slows the brain. However, even i think i get headaches from it so for now i am stopping it as a daily med…( i guess i will take something else to help my cholestrol). prolonged use over a few days of raw garlic can also cause diarrhea( it may kill even the good bacteria in tummy) . Use it in moderation unless you have a med condition which can be really reversed with garlic.
good luck! and best wishes!
I love garlic and I eat it most nites with my partner,last nite we ate quite a lot with our dinner and now I am suffering so bad with a migraine couldn’t understand what was causing this pain,now I know its garlic its such a strange and painful feeling in my head,definitely not like any normal headache. Thanx for the help guys!! XX
I get really bad headaches, after reading the comments above, I think garlic could be the cause.
You mention garlic causes the blood vessels to swell, causing sever pain in the head. I eat a lot of garlic and suffer with sever headaches on a regular basis. The headache feels like I have blocked sinuses and causes severe pain above my eyes and temples. I had my sinuses checked, the doctor said there was nothing wrong.
The only tablet that relieves the pain is Imigran, I understand these pills reduce swelling of the blood vessels.
I also use shalotts in salad dressing, could this also contribute to my headaches.
Regards
Tanis.
Hello
I used to only get the problem when I ate stupid amounts of garlic over multiple meals.
Lately less seems to mess.
Nothing medicinal cures it for me.
Latest, got it from making beef mince on Friday – threw in two pots of BOGOF sauces – so no idea how much garlic – Saturday from 2am onwards piercing migraine and deadly nausea.
At daybreak, forced myself to go walking in fresh air, a can of ginger beer helped the nausea a bit, branded paracetemol and ibuprofen migraine cure at £7+ no help.
Sunglasses did most good – even when cloudy, or indoors.
On way home popped into health food shop, bought some feverfew, popped a couple with some strong beer in pub – tactic was to drink a few so as to ensure a deep slumber – feverfew shaved about 20% off of migraine.
Waiting for bus, people complaining how cold it was (about 3C), I’d had my coat open all day and was giving out heat like a furnace.
Sleep was so deep that I missed Brighton beating Newcastle in FA cup – shows how much I needed to close my eyes.
Now two days later and still have slight headache.
I love garlic, but I won’t eat it knowingly any more.
Cheers
Ian
To reduce the chance of a galic induced headache cut the garlic in half lengthways, take out and discard the green(ish) central root. Use as normal but do not let the garlic burn.
My head is throbbing! Thanks garlic, I know it was you!!!
I love Garlic and suffer from Migraines!! I am in denial that its actually the garlic!! I get a 3 day migraine if I eat garlic dishes from a restaurant… not sure why I am convinced it a persavative used with the garlic. Usually if I taste it the next day I will get a migraine. But when I use fresh garlic, or the minced garlic in a jar, or the garlic salt at home…..no problems. I have been trying to find out what chemicals/ingrediant they use but no luck! my migraines last a full 3 days yet I can’t not eat garlic. I sprinkle it on everything!!
OMG I get terrible headaches all the time. I just have to sleep for two days. I was thinking it was pre-menopausal or something. I was really trying to track it, take health food supplements, just trying everything. Now tonight my husband made spaghetti with a ton of garlic in it. I still keep tasting it. And go figure a major headache is coming on. Oh man, I can’t sleep for the next two days, I’m too far behind at work. Yikes. At least now I know what might be causing these headaches. Thanks everyone!
I Love garlic but it gives me horrible migraines when I eat an overload when I’m trying to cleans or fight a virus. In moderation its fine
I guess this is the answer to my little problem. So from now on don’t eat too much of it with my steak and it should be ok, I hope! I love the taste of garlic, but I do not love the headaches that almost always seem to appear after eating it in large quantities. Thank goodness for the internet.
So glad to know what has caused these terrible headaches…….garlic!! I will miss you, but the headaches has to gooooo!
I’ve been so ill for years and always ate raw garlic but it was after a sandwich laced with raw garlic that I made the connection. I went down on this occaision, was flat out ill in bed, peircing pain, nausea and even glandular pain but so happy that I know what it’s caused by now!
Did you know that Garlic and Onions produce sulphites naturally. Sulphites are found in so many foods, wines, fresh fruits and veggies, canned foods, sauces, pkg foods etc.
Maybe this is the culprit; you are suffering from a sulphite sensitivity (allergy). It’s worth looking into….
I’m with you Tina on the garlic and preservative, my worst headaches seem to be processed foods that contain garlic puree, that seems to be the real trouble-maker for me, and I guess garlic puree has a preservative in it. The garlic puree gives me headaches so severe they make me nauseous.
Unfortunately fresh garlic is also a culprit, I’m currently in China and every meal is laced with garlic (which I love) but it’s just no good for my head!!
My blood pressue medication ran out so I’ve been substituting with swallowing half clove of raw garlic per day. It has helped with lowering my blood pressure but in turn has been giving me huge headaches. I blamed my daughter for aggravating my headaches (but it was the garlic). I’m so glad I found this site. The garlic also aggravated my acne making it flare up just asif I was 13 again (I’m 53).
My Mother has complained of garlic sensitivity for years. At 55, I’ve been getting headaches from garlic these past three years. It lasts from 1 to 3 days depending on how quickly I recognize it and clean up my diet. Excedrin helps but a healthy bowel movement helps most of all. Good Luck!
Thanks for all the above comments, it confirmed all the things I knew really. I have had migraines all my life and ‘suffered ‘them despite various treatments over the many years. I was on toparamate twice daily for many years which affected my circulation but was still get the attacks on a regular basis. Used zomig as a desperate measure. Was getting attacks twice weekly so came off Toparamate. Cut out caffeine all together. No tea, coffee, chocolate etc plus garlic because it was making me feel sick. For the first time in my life NO MIGRAINE. Have been this way for a year now apart from 2 attacks, both after eating a takeaway curry. So can only assume it was the garlic which I dont use when I make curry at home. Life is so much better now, even if it did take me fifty years to find out why.
Maybe it’s because it is detoxifying the body. Anytime you are getting rid of toxins in the body you usually will get a headache or sick. Just like coming off pain meds when the toxins leave the body you feel like crap. Garlic is a powerful blood cleanser.
I’m the great age of 70 now and have suffered from migraines for 65 years!!! Doctors were not even calling these headaches “migraines” for most of those years. Like most of you, I have been through all kinds of treatments, but Imitrex has helped a lot since being on the market. Onions, garlic, alcohol, and barometric pressure changes are triggers for me—weather changes can’t be controlled, but I try to avoid ALL of the normal food triggers. Mrs. Dash on list now for me. Will try a few cooked onions as a test and see what happens.
Did you know that garlic will sometimes cause a methane buildup in the body which then causes the the systolic contractions of the lower intestines…which compounds it even more.If you feel dead down there sometimes…It’s likely the garlic and all “night shades “check out oxalic acid sensitivities also….my headaches are tame now
Correction to my previous post……Stops the contractions of the small intestines….sorry
Don’t be sorry! Thanks for info!
I had this headache after eating a large quantity of garlic. I still eat garlic now after I lowered the quantity / frequency of when I ate it and yet I can still get all the wonderful health benefits while enjoying garlic too. As too much of anything is not good for your body. I hope that this helps out, Good Luck !
My wife suffered from migraines and they always came on after eating a meal, so we narrowed it down to garlic. It would be garlic!! Just about everything has garlic in it. Occasionally she will eat something with garlic in the ingredients by mistake, and within five minutes or so she will get a migraine.
I had been eating garlic in my food for years, although it wasn’t an excessive amount. I moved to canada, and for 2 years I was suffering from terrible headaches that would sometimes last for 3-4 days, easing off a little & then getting unbarable again. After my Doctor trying many things, he suggested that I could be allergic to something….It only took 2 more headaches before I dicovered what it was……garlic. Almost everything we eat contains a small amount of garlic, so my problem was because I was fueling it with almost every meal. At first it would take about 20 mins to react on me but now it’s instant. I get a tingling in my left temple & if I don’t take a tablet straight away, I will have a migrane for a couple of days. Apparantly, it sets a valve off in your brain, & once that valve opens, it has to run it’s cause. My Doctor gave me Zantac, but they cost me $97 for 6 tablets. I now take 2 or sometimes 3 liquid Advil 500, & it does the trick. I have to remember to take 1 every 4 hours afterwards otherwise the migrane comes & it runs until it’s out of my system. Only problem is, it makes me feel a bit shitty for a few days but anything is better than the migrane. As long as I avoid garlic, I’m ok…..but there are times when I get caught out….not fun at all, I sympathize with anyone who is allergic.
I just found that the garlic is doing the same thing to me and the headaches. It sucks cause I’m trying to eat it for my health. It was just hot water and garlic, cayenne, and ginger and it def got the blood pumping !
I have come up with a help for my garlic headaches!!! First, try not to eat it! But, if it is not possible and it finds its way into your meal–drink several large glasses of water afterwards. Usually a garlicky meal would be at dinner time–and I would mind myself with a hella migraine the next day. Drink 6-8 glasses of water before you go to sleep and it will flush the garlic’s staying power out of your system and you’ll feel unaffected in the morning :) I have been a garlic headache sufferer for years and this has helped in a big way! Pass it on!
Well i love garlic too but after about an hour and a half post consumption i get a headache.
Im so glad I read these comments. I thought I was crazy… Just ate garlic yesterday and wa laid up for 24 hours I woke up with garlic fire breadth Im NOT going to eat it UNLESS tey get a solution
1. Found a great new Thai restaurant… ate there for 3 dinners straight ->Garlic Pepper Chicken.
2. Wife brings home a fresh juice drink from Whole Foods to try ->Garlic something or other. Drank the whole thing myself.
3. Tried an alternate Thai restaurant… ->tried their Garlic Pepper Chicken…
This was all within 5 days. Yesterday I had a migraine + severe nausea. Today I still do. Can’t eat anything, only drinking tons and tons of water. I think I had way too much garlic for a short amount of time and now I feel poisoned.
Thank you all. Many years ago I seem to recall I had issues from MSG & Garlic so it kept my distance. Almost 2 years ago I started to get a headache every week and it stays for 12-16 hours. Let me tell you I have visited everyone from naturopaths to neuro-surgeons. Yes it might be garlic. I have a headache now and yep I had hummus last night. Breathing exercises do help especially focussing on long exhalation. Getting it out of my system somehow. After reading the posts I think I might have finally found the cause. Thank You
just did a test to see if it was the garlic giving me headaches, I had a beautiful spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and I suppose you’re right!! my head is pounding and feeling some nausea from the head ache… now i’m in trouble cause i’m always using garlic.
Just had some raw garlic mixed in with butter on some vegetables and now have a bad pain on the left side of my head. I’d never heard of garlic causing headaches before but I sorta instinctively knew it was the garlic, it was the only thing different I did today.
l can’t stand the smell of garlic. whenever I smell it from someone’s breath I immediately get an instant headache and feel sick. anyone out there like me?
Now I know it’s not in my head, well except for the strong headache! I started taking more garlic to fight yeast infections, 2 fresh cloves minced or chopped. I noticed that if I ate by itself I’d get major headache for 2 days. I now eat less than 1 clove but HAVE to eat it with big meal (eat in between my lunch, not at the beginning or not when I am done – strange but true)…noticed I don’t react if I follow this procedure. I do same for the Kyolic extract but this is less potent for me. I noticed that decreasing the amount helps, well in raw form at least. Onions not fully cooked plus raw garlic in one day makes me break out in a migraine!! Not fun. Thank you for your posts folks!! Now I don’t feel so alone and crazy.
I feel so stupid now after reading this forum. I kept taking/eating a ton of raw garlic because I thought it’d help get rid of this headache I’ve been having for weeks! LoL. Maybe fight fire with fire? :)
I sometimes call it the Garlic Hangover. I often get a nasty sickly headache the morning after eating garlic, and I also suffer chronic headaches for about 75% of the time (possibly hormonal). However, its hit and miss, because sometimes I can get away with eating garlic, yum yum, and get no headache. Must be another factor at play.
Does anyone believe that you can prolongue a headache by taking painkilkers for too long, apparently brought on by a sort of withdrawal!? Ive been pondering this, with my head pounding in my hands!
Hi
I started taking a garlic supplement, 400mg per day. I didn’t consult a doctor just started taking it because I have genital warts and supposedly the garlic kills it within your system. Anyways at first I didn’t get headaches, but it’s been more than 2 months of taking it and I’m suffering from migraines especially from the left side and also my eyes were hurting, a pain similar to sinus blockage.
I also suffer from sinusal blockage, last year I just recovered and also experiencing a similar kind of forehead pain but now my nasals are clean. I’ve just stopped taking the supplement today, I’ll update back my progression if the garlic is the culprit I should no longer suffer from headaches.
I started taking a garlic supplement three times a day to lower my blood pressure. I just realized that since i’ve started doing this i have a headache every day. Now since reading all these blogs I think garlic is the problem, will stop starting tomorrow and see what happens.
I just love Internet! And all of the people who takes a little bit of time to post an aswer, you are the real doctors! I was just looking for an answer to my latest headache problems, and found this page right away. All the same symptoms, headache and acne for eating too much garlic im the last days. Thank you indeed.
I Started eating garlic a week ago because of how good it is and I’ve been having a severe headache for 3days now, been wondering what’s wrong with me until I found out this page…i really feel sick and i never knew garlic could cause such pain as well. Thanks guys for all the info. You guys Rock!!!
I have suffered since my teens with migraines (now 46yrs) hormonal mainly but in recent years really adversely affected by weather changes. I have always been aware Chinese food causes a reaction within a few hours…bloating, increased body temperature, extreme mood swings and next day headache/migraine. I put it down to MSG’s.. When I lodged at univ the landlady was Italian and every meal laced with garlic, I often felt really sick and suffered terrible headaches which decreased on moving out. In recent years I have become more interested in cooking and have been using more garlic and garlic salt to enhance flavour…migraines are weekly. my boyfriend suggested garlic may be the cause…I had never read garlic was a food trigger until now…foods containing garlic flavourings / purée seem to have the most impact. thanks to you all for posting, I am going to try and avoid garlic as far as poss.
I say “ditto” to the author of the post two entries back. This thread originally began almost 12 yrs ago. And its still helping people, such as myself. I too am suffering from a pounding headache caused by a garlic filled dinner last night. And im just not ready to cut garlic out of my diet yet. Im wondering if anyone has some more ideas on how to avoid the headache, and still eat the garlic. Keep the ideas coming. And thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. Knowledge is power
Been eating garlic for 5 days straight because I am attempting to cleanse the body. Well, I ate the cloves raw and with no food and I also blended into a nutritional smoothie. Yesterday I had pain behind left eye and today ice pick headaches near temple! Great! So, I am going to drink water until it is out! Next time will only eat garlic three days apart. I can feel a slight tingly sensation in pores and I assume it is the garlic……….
Just wanted to add my two pence worth. Garlic in any form causes severe migraines for me-the kind that can’t even be cured with Ibruprofen and Codeine! Once set the pain had to ride it’s course. I have the same reaction with powdered Garlic which I was taking as a natural antibiotic and anti parasitic or Garlic in processed food. I tried to drink a clove in water but to be honest I am too scared to try that again. I also notice a swelling in my throat so I reckon my case is extreme but I know I have severe leaky gut which is the cause of most allergies and intolorences but it’s now not even worth it for me. Never again/
Its true that garlic consumtion caurses migraine headaches .The many times hve taken garlic juice as an anti-fungal, or as remedy for colds &flu, I have usually had a very strong headaches.
Thanks to everyone who took time to post
i have been having a terible headache ever since i started taking raw garlic
but i dont seem to have the same efect if i take it in a cooked meal
Add me to the list. It seems worse if I eat roasted garlic opposed to just garlic salt or whatever. Shame too because I like garlic and it didn’t bother me when I was younger. I’m 31 now and I think garlic has been contributing to my migraines for a few years now.
I discovered the cause of my student headaches was not beer but onion and garlic. Leeks ok. Fried black onion is ok. But sauces and so on floor me. Avoid all curries and many italiAn meals. If you get a migraine try a superhot bath – immersing my head under very very hot water appears to relieve the pressure and pain. If it hits I take antacid for the stomach reaction as well as both paracetamol and ibruprofen at the same time – helps with a few hours hiding in bed sweating it away
I was lucky to work it out in my 20s – my mother in law casually said a friend of hers got headaches with onions! Click. Leeks seem fine so we cook with them instead.
Chris Bresler
I never had problems before, using garlic, raw or in any other form, even lots of it.
I am a migraine sufferer since very small. I am 61 years old now. There are many things that I discovered over the years that are causing me to have a migraine, but garlic was never one of them.
I was migraine free for the last 7 years and thought I was finally over it. But a while ago I had one of the worst migraines you can imagine, an exploding pulsating headache (thought I was getting a stroke or had meningitis or something), vomiting, diarrhoea, sweating, aching stiff neck, palpitations etc.
The next day, still feeling yucky, I did some rethinking of what I ate on that terrible day. My wife said it had to be the garlic, because I did not smell of garlic, but as soon as the headache became an unbearable migraine, she said I radiated waves of garlic fumes. After founding your blog, I am in agreement that it must be the garlic.
But in defence of garlic, which I used trying to curb a sudden hypertension that befell me for the last one and a half year, I must just mention the following: I used it copiously (3 huge raw cloves, sliced and in a toasted sandwich, together with half a white onion); it was not fresh anymore, did not much taste like garlic, was soft and light brown in colour, but was all I had. Perhaps the ‘agedness’ of it could also have played a role in my case. The reason I say that, is because with mangoes the case is such: I can eat greenish and almost ripe mangoes with no problem at all. But the moment the mango is overripe I get a most horrific migraine from it. Maybe there are enzymes forming when it gets overripe, just as a banana changes in its make-up as it gets ripe.
I just want to mention that instant coffee (even after just one cup) also caused me to have migraine, but only the next day. I think it is a substance in it called ‘thermo bromide’, which is also in brown chocolates, but in lower quantities, that is causing the migraine. Fumes of petrol and paint thinners too.
I also want to share my discovery over my very high blood pressure, which was 168/115 and my heartbeat 101. The readings would also fluctuate minute by minute. I was really getting paranoid over it, nothing seemed to help. I even used dangerous prescribed meds for a while, but it almost killed me (just look at the pamphlet at the side effects of any medication available). I even used anti-stress and anti-anxiety pills, with no real improvement.
Natural stuff like ‘Pressure-eeze forte’ at double dose helped for a while, then not anymore. I tried about everything that you can think of, also the garlic, but to no avail.
My blood pressure this morning, as most days the last two weeks, is 132/77 and pulse 64. I cannot be happier about it. And I just changed ONE thing (without any hypertension meds) and that is, believe it or not, OMEGA 3. I found a very old bottle of about 70 ml of Cod liver oil, drank two big gulps (about 40 ml) and about 3 hours later the rest, and my blood pressure dropped significantly. Since then I supplement with about 4 omega 3 softgel capsules per day and it seems to hold.
If you could see me now… I have two fingers up in the face of Big Pharma and its monster-proprietors and all the doctors all over the world who can do nothing but treating symptoms with poison and cutting people open, all for just more money!
Is your blood pressure still good and what exactly do u use to control it
Thanks Brian
OMDz thank goodness I’ve read this thread. Having suffered the most horrendous headache after having ginger garlic n onionz everyday 😔 it iz interesting my mum and I aren’t alone. The key iz eating within proportion and limiting it to what our bodiez can handle. I think instead of raw slightly steamed and only a small bit so we still get the goodness and benefits. Wow glad to know whats been causing theze terrible headaches. Thank you.
I am not alone!! I thought I was crazy as I eat very healthy because of my migraines. My main triggers are msg, alcohol and weather change. So I couldn’t understand why I woke up with a horrible headache with sharp pains in my temples. I thought of what I ate the day before and it was all clean eating. I realized one thing I did different was adding a lot of garlic to my green beans and chicken. I thought , no way it’s the garlic. It’s healthy for you. After reading all of these posts, It is the darn garlic! :/ This has happened to me before, but I really didn’t think it was the garlic. Thank you to all of you that took the time to post.
This is SO interesting. I love garlic and onions and have been fine with both for a long time. However, I’ve noticed lately (last year or so) a mild headache after eating a garlic-heavy meal. I just made pasta with garlic and olive oil (I use 2 whole bulbs, chopped–simmer half in the oil and then toss the other half with the pasta, so some of it’s still raw) and I have that mild headache again. Bleh. That pasta was so delicious! At least it’s not a migraine like some of you have described. :(
Here it is 10 minutes after I typed the above post and my headache is gone. I was looking for the root cause. If garlic dilates the blood vessels then I needed to constrict them. Cypress essential oil to the rescue! I rubbed two drops on my forehead, temples, and the back of my neck. And it worked! Hope this helps someone out there.
Garlic kills the bad bacteria. Why most people have a headache after eating it is because the dead bacteria leave our system through our blood, which is a good thing.
People with severe headaches after eating garlic have a high percentage of bad bacteria in their body. Ever heard of candida ?
You’re wrong, Carl.
This is very presumptuous of you to say. You are talking about what some call ‘the Herxheimer reaction,’ an experience of unpleasant symptoms due to toxins being released from the cleansing out of the system of bad bacteria, fungus, etc.
The Herxheimer reaction may or may not be a legitimate condition, but it is not the reason for all negative reactions to anything otherwise considered good for you. It is certainly not what people in this thread are experiencing. Think about citrus, one of the more common migraine triggers. Citrus is generally considered good for you. Are you going to argue that migraines caused by citrus are also due to the HE? What about allergies?
You’ve got to have just a little legitimate knowledge of the science of the body and of bacteria, fungus, etc, to comfortably make the claims you are making. Just because it sounds profound, doesn’t mean it’s true. That’s why we study these things rather than jumping to uneducated conclusions.
But even such, what he says makes a lot of sense. Most of these symptoms that everyone seems to have experienced such as sinus congestion, headaches and brain fog are all associated with major detox events. Even the acne, which could manifest as simple breakouts anywhere on the body, are also ways that the body rids itself of toxins. Of course, allergic reactions to garlic are also on the table but that simply means that no one really knows, it seems. You can discount his attitude but not his supposition at what the underlying problem is. I have noticed that I get these headaches and and the descriptions that I have read in this forum seem to identify them exactly…however, I don’t get them consistently with garlic so something else might be going on here. Furthermore, I have been struggling with candida and garlic means curtains for those yeasty bastards. When they die, particularly en masse (which garlic seems to do), the herxheimer reaction is quite pronounced. In addition, after I get over these headaches, which are sometimes accompanied by fogginess and poor attitude, I end up feeling wonderful. Basically, like I’ve been “cleaned.”
So, what I’m trying to get across is that perhaps many of these posters who have problems with garlic, might just have a larger underlining problem with candida or parasites….after all, candida is present in the microbiome of every human being naturally, along with the more publicized “good” and “bad” bacteria. With the way that the Western World has become accustomed to eating (a diet high in sugars that is the taylor made to support yeast growth), it stands to reason that a great many people have some sort of candida overgrowth. When garlic is consumed, it will kill a portion of that colony and thus, create a time period of significant discomfort.
Sure, garlic (or almost anything) can become allergenic to people but the idea that one’s micro biome is “out of whack,” should not be dismissed.
It has taken me the better part of 20 years to identify my problem, terrible headache that lasts an entire day. Mine almost always occur overnight and I wake up to the “surprise” headache. I can sometimes feel it coming on just before I go to bed. For years I thought maybe tomato sauce because it would usually hit after having pizza and sometimes spaghetti. One night my wife made a meal with no tomato sauce but with garlic bread and the next day it hit me.
I since have discovered that even trace amounts of garlic in potato chips, dry roasted peanuts, taco seasoning, fast food, etc….brings on the headache. Even worse…. I’ve discovered that onions do the same (even in small amounts). Eating out is nearly impossible. I take a single Exedrin pill at bedtime whenever I feel I might have eaten garlic or onion, the problem is I’m doing this at least two or three times a week. It does eliminate the dreaded wake up headache but it’s starting to cause stomach problems. I just started an experiment where I’m going to try the ingredients of Excedrin individually at bedtime after exposure to the garlic / onion. Starting with simply 100mg of caffeine, if no luck then I’ll try aspirin ~250mg then lastly ~250mg of tylenol (acetominophen). Each attempt on separate nights of course. I’m hoping the caffeine alone will solve the problem, it seems the least harmful, if if works then I’ll look for a more natural solution to replace the caffeine. I’m not a coffee drinker, can’t stand the stuff.
Lastly, when I eat garlic or onion in large quantity I too burn up from the inside. I get very hot and have to shed clothing. I can also smell garlic from a mile away. I hope this helps somebody. I never post anything online but this was necessary. :)
Same here; after 30+ years of severe migraines, finally traced it to garlic. My mom cooked with some garlic but a couple of my friend’s moms used tons. No one could ever figure out why I came down with a vomitting migraine and was violently ill every time I visited. It just became a kind if joke…’Debs coming to visit so she will probably get sick’….and I would. Over the years I tried tracing it to chocolate, wine, flavir enhabcers…no luck. Finally in my 40’s connected the dots. I have asked Drs about the garlic migraine connection and they just look oddly at me and are not aware of it. Never heard of it. My belief is that since I have low blood pressure, garlic lowers it further. Recently read garlic can effect the trigeminal nerve and cause a severe headache/migraine. Yes, I have to watch practically everything I eat as garlic, garlic powder, and garlic flavor is in so many different foods. Sometimes if I eat at a restaurant where I am sure they may have used garlic, immediately after eating I take 2-3 ibuprofen. Almost eliminates or buffers a full blown migraine episode. Kind of a preventive measure. Until I found this website today, I have never met or heard of anyone else making the garlic migraine connection. However people that do suffer from migraines that I know, I do mention that is possibly garlic. So sad, as I really do love garlic!
I ate 3/4 of a loaf of garlic bread from Dominos with dinner tonight and I’ve been sick in the stomach with diarrhoea ever since! This has never happened before!
I’m 44 and I’ve been suffering with awful sinus problems and headaches where it literally takes me 48 hours to recover. I’ve just realised its garlic, but especially in the cheap supermarket garlic toast. It seems almost to ‘burn’ me, destroys my sleep quality and causes blocked and incredibly painful sinuses. It feels like I then can’t quite quench my thirst and I crave caffeine. Tablets don’t seem to touch it and only deep sleep finally nails it. I’m so pleased I’ve finally linked it to garlic after doing a food diary. Btw I’m also very allergic to double cream.
Had headaches starting in my 40s. Thought it was sinus. Took ten years to link it to migrain trigger foods. Cut out coffee, wine (sulfites), beer (yeast), MSG, and now tonight I realized garlic is giving me a headache tonight! I cooked steak with some minced garlic, started to get a headache and Googled it to see if anyone got headaches from it. And find that it does! I plan to take two excedrin before I go to bed. I’m 60 years old and has taken years to understand the causes of my headaches. The book “Heal Your Headache” by Buchholz helped me a lot.
I always get headaches and a skin rush from eating garlic and it sucks because i really love the taste and i would love to know why
Yes, especially relating to the sinus area and the front of the head and behind the eyes. Drink lots of water…although I really only find sleep and time cure it. Some garlic is worse than others too. Cheap supermarket garlic bread nearer kills me. Finally, if I have to eat garlic (BTW I love it!), I have to eat early in the evening, so my body has time to deal with it before sleep. Sleeping on garlic is terrible, I think because of the dehydrating effect.
I mentioned earlier that perhaps those with intense reactions to garlic could just be killing pathogens or negative elements of their micro biota. I suppose there’s always the rogue allergic reaction to garlic, but the stuff is a potent “cleanser” of bad stuff in the gut. For instance, it is just about instant death to Candida Albicans and other fungal entities. When there is an overgrowth in the gastric system (which is fairly common to those who eat along the SAD, Standard American Diet, as it is known) and garlic is introduced, a wide scale die off is experienced and this can be rather unpleasantly and severely so at times. This is because the fungus will emit large quantities of their endotoxins into the body and this is what is known as the Herxheimer-Jarasch Reaction (Herx, for short). It is actually a sign of progress, though it feels like quite the opposite.
Thanks Mike. So is there a solution? An antidote ?
Presuming that it isn’t an allergic reaction, there isn’t too much that you can do outside of drinking copious quantities of water/salts and of course, slowing the fungicide process. But then that would entail a longer slog toward the completion of recovery. You could always take activated charcoal capsules or ingest bentonite clay to absorb the dead candida and their mycotoxins. That would alleviate much of the infammation that is the cause of the pain and discomfort. Hot detox baths also speed the expunging of toxins from the body but be careful, too much of a hot bath will further kill pathogens by invoking mock fever conditions….at that point, almost no amount of water will be able to help with the discomfort. Been there, it sux. However, when it finally subsides, I always feel like Hercules. Never fails.
I can deal with pain fairly well and I hate my health being compromised so I normally just “eat the pain” in order to kill the most candida at any single time. I still get flare ups to let me know that the Candida overgrowth is still not yet where I need it but it’s effects get more minimal with every next herx.
My Wife and I both suffer from Garlic headaches for a number of years now. We have noticed that the dried ) powdered) garlic is the worst form as the manufacturers use Sulfur Dioxide as a preservative (220)This also used heavily in jars of minced Garlic and Ginger. I work away a lot and the chefs use lots of garlic in everything, so I suffer mostly from headaches nearly everyday. Sometimes I have a severe headache for more than 12 – 18 hours. The only thing to relieve this is take Nurofen for Migraine pain relief as soon as the headache or migraine starts. This works every time. The other method if you haven’t got any pain tablets, is to enjoy a double shot of freshly brewed coffee. If that doesn’t work, then have a second cup an hour later, then sometimes I have had a third cup to finally fix it. We have been studying this for the past 15 years and found that Garlic and raw Onions, have naturally occurring Sulfates. Best to avoid them both. I cook with Eschalot Onions as they don’t affect us once they are cooked. Garlic also has the affect of dilating the blood vessels in the brain causing increased pressure. Coffee constricts the vessels, so an opposite reaction occurs. Hope this is helpful.