Headache tea is a warm cup of dried herbs, and this one is a blend of peppermint, feverfew, chamomile, and lemon balm. To make a cup, steep 2 tablespoons of the blend in 1.5 cups of just-boiled water for 5 to 7 minutes, covered, then strain. It’s cooling, a little bitter, and calming to sip on a cool fall evening.

Why You Will Love This

This is a cup for when your head feels tight and you want something warmer and more deliberate than another glass of water. Peppermint brings a cool, sharp lift you notice in your sinuses before you taste it. Feverfew is the bitter old standby of Western herbalism, and chamomile and lemon balm round off the bitterness. It tastes like something made on purpose, and sitting still for a few minutes with a hot mug is part of the appeal.

The Story Behind It

Feverfew has been a traditional herb in Western herbalism since the 1600s, and peppermint is one of the best-loved herbs for a cooling cup. Pair them with gentle partners like chamomile and lemon balm and you get a tea that tastes herbal but not punishing, like a garden after rain with a sharp mint finish.

Headache tea recipe ingredients including dried feverfew leaves, peppermint, and chamomile arranged on white marble with measuring spoons
Quality sourcing matters: look for feverfew with intact flower heads and peppermint leaves that still smell sharp and cool.

What You Will Need

For the dried blend (makes about 6 cups of tea):

  • 5 tablespoons dried peppermint
  • 3 tablespoons dried feverfew
  • 2 tablespoons dried chamomile
  • 2 tablespoons dried lemon balm

For each cup:

  • 2 tablespoons of the blend
  • 1.5 cups boiling water
  • Honey or lemon to taste (optional)

How to Make It

  1. Mix the peppermint, feverfew, chamomile, and lemon balm together in a bowl or jar to make the blend.
  2. Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil.
  3. Put 2 tablespoons of the blend in an infuser or reusable tea bag and set it in your mug.
  4. Pour the hot water over the herbs, cover, and steep for 5 to 7 minutes.
  5. Remove the infuser and sweeten with honey or squeeze in lemon if you like. Drink while warm.
Steeping headache tea with feverfew and peppermint in glass teapot showing amber infusion with visible herb particles
The tea turns a soft amber as the herbs steep. Keep it covered so the peppermint's aroma stays in the cup.

Herbalist Notes

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): The herb Western herbalists have reached for the longest when someone gets recurring bad heads. It’s genuinely bitter, which is part of why it belongs in a blend rather than alone in a mug.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita): The menthol is what you notice, and you notice it in your nose before your tongue. Peppermint is the cooling herb here and the reason the cup doesn’t taste like punishment. Good dried leaf still smells sharp when you crush it between your fingers. Tired leaf smells like hay and makes a flat, grassy tea.

Chamomile and lemon balm: The soft, floral, lemony pair. They take the edge off the feverfew and make the cup easier to finish.

Make It Your Own

Fresh ginger, a little lavender, or some green tea can go into the cup if you like those flavors. Add them to taste. If feverfew’s bitterness bothers you, add a squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of honey. Keep the dried blend in an airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard and scoop what you need. Make the tea fresh each time, because a reheated cup loses the peppermint aroma that makes it worth drinking.

Finished headache tea in ceramic mug with steam rising, garnished with fresh peppermint sprig, beside feverfew flowers and honey jar on wooden table
Brew it on a cool evening, or keep it as a quiet morning ritual.

Common Questions

What tea helps with headaches?

Peppermint, feverfew, and ginger are the herbs that come up again and again in herbal traditions for head pain. Peppermint is the cooling one, the herb people reach for when the tightness sits across the forehead and temples. Feverfew is the bitter one, traditionally used steadily. This blend pairs peppermint and feverfew with chamomile and lemon balm so the cup is mellow enough to drink.

Can herbal tea relieve migraines?

A mug of tea is a comforting thing to hold, and feverfew has a long reputation among herbalists. This is a warm cup of herbs, and many people like to sip it in a dark, quiet room with their phone face down.

Does peppermint tea help with headaches?

Peppermint is the herb most associated with the tight band across the forehead, and it’s the one most people reach for first. Part of that is the menthol, which you feel in your sinuses as much as you taste on your tongue. Part of it is the ritual: warm liquid, a slow few minutes, shoulders coming down off your ears.

What is the best natural remedy for tension headaches?

On a tension-headache kind of day, a warm cup of peppermint tea is a good place to start. Beyond the tea, many people like steady pressure on the webbing between thumb and index finger while they sip, a dark room, and no screen for as long as they can manage. The remedy that helps is the one you’ll actually sit down and do.

How often should I drink headache tea?

The source of this blend suggests no more than 3 cups per day. Brew a cup when you first feel the tightness starting, or keep it as a calm morning ritual through a rough stretch.