Handy

Yes sir. Though it's no cure for CH, I'm optimistic that licorice is a good (and safe) management tool. I took 2 droppers with a little water, 3 times daily as a preventative. (I only used it once as an onset treatment, so that was inconclusive.) I had no side effects (good or bad). It even tasted mildly like the candy. I found nothing wrong with using licorice, and yet something about my CHs was definitely changed. As well, I was especially pleased since my previous CH season had lasted much longer at 4 months. (That's 4 months without a beer!) We'll see what happens next timeÂ

Hi. I'm a newbie that just finished a relatively short cluster season...My last CH was on March 13th. Though I've had CHs for about 12 years, I've never posted on this site before now. For relief during these years, I too, have tried all the drugs mentioned by others on this site, but 5 years ago O2 became my sole method for treatment. 7 - 12 liters per minute of blessed relief... Anyway, after the unexpected retirement of my neurologist, getting my oxygen equipment was delayed for a couple weeks this year...I was 2 weeks into the daily CH pain when I found this forum and THIS topic... I was intrigued with the thought of something as simple as an herb being as effective as O2 (or other drugs) and since I was waiting anyway, I ran to Whole Foods and got some tincture of licorice. Anyway, my results were amazing! Totally different than other treatments in it's effect on me. The results weren't "immediate" but when compared to years of pain, it could have been.... -On the first day, March 5th, I took the licorice, and had 4 CHs that night. All of them were very mild...about a pain level #2. -Mar 6th...Licorice x3 and some shadows only. NO CHs at all. -Mar 7th...Licorice x3, some shadows and 2 CHs. Pain level #2. <I keep a diary of these episodes> -Mar 8th...Licorice x3, some shadows and NO CHs! -On Mar 9th, the O2 was delivered. I still took the licorice x3 and had 2 CHS that night. Pain level #3. -Mar 10th...licorice x3. Only 1 CH at about #5 pain level. O2 shortened it to about 5 minutes time. It started strong and ended real quick... -Mar 11th and Mar 12th...Licorice x3. No need for O2. 2 days with No CHs. -Mar 13th...Licorice x3. 1 CH at about pain #3. Lasted 15 minutes with O2... That was my last CH. Total season was about 4 weeks long... Now, I know that not everyone will see my results as being conclusive in favor of licorice. After all, the delivery of O2 does confuse the experiment. However, I am certain that the licorice was quietly effecting my CHs and therefore limiting my need for the O2... Plus, I have health issues like BP and BAP and so I am careful with supplements. No problems either... Okay...my conclusion and opinion... I noticed an immediate difference in the frequency and pain level after starting the licorice treatment. Where my episodes had been daily and very painful, they suddenly became intermittent and mild. After I had waited a couple weeks for the O2 delivery, the use of licorice eliminated my need once it had arrived. Hard to believe? Yes. I still have a partial bottle of licorice and a whole bunch of O2, and my CHs stopped over 3 weeks ago. No shadows or anything... Oh yeah, in past seasons I have resorted to taking a portable O2 bottle if I needed to travel during a season (nothing worse than a camping trip with CHs). As well, if you ride a bike, portable O2 is not really an option either. No over nighters. Now, my first line of defense will be a little bottle of licorice tincture in my saddle bag... Thank you Les Gesner for sharing this information...

I found Licorice Root Extract at Whole Foods. The sales person said it was the same a tinture. I couldn't argue. Brand name Herb Pharm. 1:2 with 19-29% grain alcohol. 20-40 drops per dose is recommended. Cost $11.29 for 1 ounce. Interesting flavor in a little water... Time for just 2 doses before bedtime yesterday. Really different results over night, too. I have a habit of rating my CHs on a 1-10 scale, and unlike normal I had 4 CHs last night as well (instead of 1-2). The difference was that all of them lasted only 10 minutes with a pain level of around 2. The pain never moved into my left eye as normal for the really bad ones. I used a cold wet wash cloth. Just painful enough to ruin my sleep pattern and get me up... Greg PS - Compared to the 2 hour #9 level that I had the other night, they were better. We will see after today, and then I'll enter the Poll in the other topic.

Ha. I'm currently working on the Atkins plan as I trim up for summer fashion, so I'll have to pass on the banana split. However, I may considered a couple shots of Licorice Tinture water...as soon as I find some

Hi Carol. Just a little food for thought, as they say... When I started having clusters in 1999, I couldn't find (or didn't know what to look for) any information about what I was experiencing. My family doctor had no clue as well. "Take two Tylenol..." At the time my clusters seemed to "start" in an area of my upper left jaw. That seemed to be the center of the pain with it radiating outward from there. As a result, I assumed it was related to a toothache. In fact, I discovered that eating a box of ice cream in the dark was very soothing (I couldn't even feel the usual "brain freeze" type headaches from too much cold)...and so it wasn't long until I decided a tooth had to go. After many x-rays and even a root canal, I had 1 molar pulled. Perhaps, coincidentally, the season was coming to a close, but the extraction seemed to help...the pain ended and I was happy. That was until the next cluster came around...and I started nagging the dentist again. After much begging, I had another tooth pulled...but the clusters continued anyway. I developed a real taste for Bryers ice cream during those dark nights, but while I was putting on the pounds I still was at a loss for what was going on (like many, I'm sure). All I knew was that ice cream on the roof of the mouth was soothing...and that was my treatment until I found the CH.com site in about 2006...(the rest has little to do with this thread) Anyway, what's the point? I believe it is easy to misdiagnose these headaches when you have no information to go on. After all, I had never heard of anyone on this side of sanity that had reoccurring headaches, in the same place, every night, for weeks and weeks while eating ice cream in the dark. This may not be relevant to this thread, and I don't intend to minimize your post. I do know that a real toothache can be very painful too. I just offer this as another angle on the reason we are all here. Greg PS - I became more enlightened with the help of CH.com and I was soon successfully using oxygen after finding a neurologist. I still have clusters, but I use ice without the cream, now. :