Best Strain for Tension Headache

Tension headaches and overall stress can really be a barrier to living well. These symptoms are no joke, from discomfort to chronic pain, and can lead to lower productivity and general irritableness. Now, cannabis and hemp have plenty of therapeutic benefits reported by users. From aiding with pain relief, and inflammation to dealing with stress and anxiety symptoms, these two have the potential to help with different problems. Besides the cannabinoids from hemp or cannabis, some strains have unique properties that could aid these problems. From their terpene composition, their Indica or Sativa origin, to the mix of all of these characteristics give certain strains a headstart when talking about relieving pain. In this article, we’ve gathered the most important information you need to know when picking a strain for tension headaches, both with cannabis (mainly Delta-9 THC) and hemp (CBD-based flowers). Together, let’s explore some of the most common questions and our top choices for strains that could potentially help with headaches and, in some cases, migraines.

Key Takeaways

• Tension headaches are known for their moderate intensity and for affecting both sides of the head.
• Cannabis may help reduce tension headaches by promoting pain reduction and relaxation thanks to their cannabinoids and terpenes.
• Both Indica and Sativa strains may help you deal with tension headaches.
• Botany Farms offers several strains that may help users who suffer from tension headaches.

What Are Tension Headaches?

Let’s start with the basics. Tension headaches are a category of headaches known for their mild to moderate intensity, which can affect both sides of the head. These can last anywhere from a few minutes to 60 days or more. Now, there’s a difference between migraines and tension headaches. While both have similar characteristics that overlap, like being chronic or episodic, the second one feels more like clamping or a tight and around your head. Tension headaches tend to come on slowly, affect your head with throbbing pain, and go down your neck and even back to your head. Unlike migraines, these usually do not cause light sensitivity but can cause irritableness and become chronic if they aren’t treated.

Best Terpenes for Migraines

Terpenes are as diverse as there are strains. Some help with specific notes and flavors. Others have potential wellness and therapeutic benefits. We’ll focus on the latter category for this article, as migraines and headaches can hinder your life quality. Myrcene, Limonene, and Linalool are our top choices for terpenes. The first is pretty common among strains, sometimes referred to as one of the most abundant monoterpene in both hemp can cannabis strains. The reason behind Myrcene as the first pick is the reported biological properties, including anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects that can support pain relief. And a fun fact, it adds hop-like notes to strains as well. Limonene, on the other hand, brings citrusy notes but also has strong scientific evidence it could help with musculoskeletal pain. Evidence suggests it could be helpful with muscular pain and aid other components, like cannabinoids, in taking action with pain. Lastly, in animal studies, Linalool has also shown promising evidence that it can help with chronic inflammatory and neuropathic hypersensitivity. This gives us a heavy insight into how it could be helpful for other chronic pain diagnoses, like migraines or tension headaches. Now that you know our three top choices let’s go with another common question regarding strains and pain, whether you should go for a Sativa or Indica strain.

Indica or Sativa for Migraines

One of the fundamental questions of weed and hemp users is whether you should go for a Sativa or Indica, which might also apply to migraines. Well, it depends. Indica strains are known for their relaxing properties, which might also have to do with the terpene combination. On the other hand, Sativa strains are known for having reported energetic and mood-uplifting effects. These are better used for daytime use, as they usually won’t make you feel sleepy or groggy when trying them. Now, for migraines, it comes down to what you want from your experience. If your tension headache doesn’t let you work during the day, you might want to go for a Sativa or Sativa-leaning hybrid to remain functional. If you want to unwind and forget you even had a migraine, with even a little sleep, go for an Indica or Indica-leaning hybrid instead. This way, you can let your mind rest, and the anti-inflammatory effects kick in. We'd recommend picking a high CBD hybrid strain for the people who want the best of both worlds. This way, you can feel relaxed without compromising your activities. Some people even use these strains for chronic diagnoses like eye pressure. Make sure you get enough tokes to make you feel better, as high-cannabinoid strains can also knock you down regardless of their strain family because of their potency.

How Cannabis Can Help Treat Tension Headaches

Cannabis and hemp have a long story of aiding different cultures with pain symptoms. Nowadays, the medical community has found evidence that it might help treat certain kinds of pain, specifically headaches.

Reduction of Headache Symptoms

This might be one of the main reasons people get close to both cannabis and hemp. There’s scientific evidence that cannabis could help treat several migraine symptoms, including pain. This systematic survey showed that cannabinoids could help with specific symptoms while reducing the consumption and possible side effects of medicine often used with these symptoms, like opioids.

May Alleviate Some Pain

Both cannabis and hemp use similar pathways to provide pain relief. While weed, whose main component is Delta-9 THC, binds directly to the proteins in our Endocannabinoid system (ECS), Cannabidiol works around them to diminish the inflammation and provide overall relief to some pain. This is particularly useful for chronic pain like tension headaches or migraines. In 2020, this paper noted how CBD could be useful for different conditions, including the clinical evidence that it could provide therapeutic benefits for various chronic diagnoses to solve the pain. However, they state that more systemic research would be needed for treatment.

Ease of Muscle Tension

Hemp has found its way to potentially help with muscle tension that might be part of your migraine and stress symptoms. This extensive review done with CBD and athletes reported that it could help to promote the healing of skeletal injuries and inflammation and help with analgesic effects.

Promote a Calming Effect

Lastly, it is believed that both hemp and cannabis can have a relaxing effect. This is why some people like having a toke to relax or even help with some anxiety or insomnia symptoms. This case study reviewed the power of Cannabidiol in both anxiety and sleep, showing promising results for anxiety-related disorders. Most patients in the survey declared having decreased symptoms by the first month while taking CBD. However, the researchers did note that controlled clinical studies are needed.

Best Strain for Tension Headache

Now that we’ve reviewed how hemp can help with tension headaches, let’s go full into the list of the best strains. We’ve chosen these based on their potency, their reported effects, and the combination of the terpenes each one has. Let’s dive into the list.

Bubba Kush Strain

Here comes a classic strain that is potent and pretty delicious. The Bubba Kush strain is a balanced Indica bud with about 18.3% of total cannabinoid levels. Users love this strain because of its balanced relaxing feelings, which can help with body tension and migraines. You’ll love this classic strain in a fully CBD version with delicious dark chocolate, coffee, and earth notes. And if you want balanced relaxing effects without having to compromise taste or quality, Bubba is the way to go. And if you want some psychoactive action to take the relaxation a little bit further, our HHC carts at the Botany Farms store use this strain. So you can easily enjoy this strain on the go without having second looks with premium HHC distillate.

Blue Dream Strain

Contrary to its name, Blue Dream is a popular Sativa strain that users have looked at because of its reported physical pain relief. This bud is well-rounded and balanced, with delicious blue berry-tasting tokes that can soothe your body while uplifting your mood. Blue Dream is not a strain if you want to go to sleep, as its psychoactive effects can give you a boost of energy and even get a little bit social. With Myrcene as its top terpene and 18% of THC levels, it is a good choice for sweet berry flavors. Or, if you want to try Delta-8 THC in a cart with a similar bud, the Berry Blossom strain is the main ingredient in this cart at our store. While this one is an Indica, it also has an intense berry, earthy, and fuel-like profile that you’ll love if you’ve tried Blue Dreams.

Abacus 2.0 Strain

Now, meet an abacus that won’t give you headaches while doing some accounting. Abacus 2.0 is an Indica-dominant CBD flower with a balanced taste and reported effects. Its terpene profile leans on the pungent and berry side, perfect if you want to avoid super sweet tokes. With lots of blackberry, citrus, spice, and diesel-like notes, its profile is easy to handle for all users. And reported effects from this strain are aiding with stress and relaxing your body, making it perfect for strong headaches. You can also try this strain with our premium Abacus 2.0 Delta-8 THC flower made with Delta-8 distillate, frozen and sprayed evenly on the nug for added relaxation. The added effect of Delta-8 could be helpful to some people thanks to its mild psychoactive component, and when mixed with this terpene profile, it can be a pretty balanced solution.

Fruit Loops Strain

This strain does not include toucans, but it can undoubtedly cheer you up and potentially make you relax after a tension headache. Meet Fruit Loops, a potent Indica strain with a delicious, floral, and creamy profile with strong cannabinoid levels. No joke, Fruit Loops is one of our favorite strains. It has a creamy yet fruity flavor profile that’s easily enjoyable without being too overpowering. And with incredible looks with dark purple buds and bright orange hairs, it really livens up your smoking ritual. With its strong 24.9% of total cannabinoid levels and reported relaxing effects, this strain is perfect if you’ve been looking for something on the heavy side without being couch-locking. And also available in our Delta-8 THC version, you can enjoy solid and delicious tokes depending on what kind of experience you want: mildly psychoactive (Delta-8 THC) or the only-hemp experience.

Moonshine Haze

For something on the Sativa-side of the family, the Moonshine Haze is a pretty fine choice. And don’t worry, this one is not as potent as actual moonshine liquor. With a reasonably balanced 18% THC and 1% CBG, this flower is more powerful enough to help with pain without knocking you down. The profile of this one leans towards the sweet, spicy, herbal, and woody undertones. Its primary terpene is mostly Terpinolene, known for its pain-relieving and herbal and floral notes.

Purple Kush Strain

Another great strain from the kush family, Purple Kush, could be your choice flower if your headache needs a repairing sleep. This bud is known for its numbing sensation by users, is frequently smoked thanks to its sleep-promoting properties, and is best used at nighttime. This pure Indica strain has a solid 22% THC level with barely any CBD. So if you prefer psychoactive effects to get rid of your pain and some repairing sleep, this purple bud could be your new favorite.

ACDC Strain

This strain might not give you a Back in Black cover, but it can potentially help with some migraines with minor psychoactive action. The ACDC strain is rich in CBD and has intense cannabinoid levels, reaching up to 19%. This strain is known for its sweet and earthy scent, and users report feeling happy and calm, perfect for chronic pains, anxiety, seizures, and even tremors. It is also important to say this is a Sativa-dominant bud that is best smoked during the daytime to enjoy its effect entirely.

Zombie Kush

If sometimes your migraine has made you wish you could have a zombie eat your brains, we’ve got you. Tension headaches are the worst. But maybe a bud like Zombie Kush, a really strong Indica, could be of help every once in a while. While we can’t really ship or trade zombies (yet), the Indica-dominant Zombie Kush strain is a pretty solid alternative. With over 32.6% of cannabinoid levels with pine, berry, and even earthy notes, it is as delicious as it is strong. This strain has reported relaxing effects but is best used during the evening or night as some users even use it to help them sleep. Others have also said it helps with aches and pain, which could be a lifesaver for grade-a migraines.

Green Crack Strain

Despite its awful name, this strain might be helpful if you like mango flavors and want some potential pain relief. This strain has an intense Myrcene concentration, making it very strong with the tropical fruit notes. As a Sativa strain, the reported effects lean onto the energetic side. However, users have said that 17% of THC content can be strong enough to help them lower headaches and general pain. Consumers have also reported it can help deal with stress during daytime use, which can be a game-changer if stress is a constant in your daily life.

Grape Ape Strain

Back to the Indica side of strains, meet the Grape Ape. With delicious and sweet grape flavors, this strain falls onto the calming and unwinding side of the list. Some users even use it as a natural sleep aid, thanks to its natural properties. While it's not a strain to go bananas at a party, it can undoubtedly help muscle discomfort due to the high Myrcene concentration. Specifically, people report that this ape-inspired strain is perfect for dealing with pain, stress, and even anxiety with its strong-yet balanced 18% of THC.

Super Sour Diesel

Get ready to meet one of the heaviest Sativas on the list. As the name suggests, the Super Sour Diesel is potent, pretty sour thanks to Limonene, and has lots of pungent notes. So if you ever wondered if a strain could be straightforward, you are in for a treat. This strain has 23% THC levels, which would be slightly more potent on the scale than your regular balanced strain. As a Sativa, it has mostly energizing properties, but also users have delved into this bud for stress and even pain relief. Perfect for daytime use, this strain can be a good change from overly sweet or fruity profiles, as you’ll only find pungent, sour notes with each toke of this bud. It is also sometimes used when having sex, thanks to its uplifting and energizing properties.

OG Kush Strain

Let’s go with a classic, the OG Kush bud. This is one of the most common strains and is perfect if you want the original weed experience. As a hybrid strain with up to 20% of Delta-9 THC levels, it has balanced yet potent effects with strong sedative effects. This strain is preferred by users thanks to its powerful sedative effects, which could help combat some of the symptoms associated with tension headaches.

Remedy Strain

Meet another CBD-heavy strain, Remedy. And this bud gets its name for a good reason. It can potentially provide a remedy to a few ailments, according to users, including pain relief. Like other hemp strains, this flower has around 15% CBD. With a mellow, relaxing effect and woody undernotes, this is a beginner-friendly strain that is not very heavy to smoke. Best of all, its flavor profile is delicious, and users have gotten closer thanks to the top terpene on this flower, Myrcene.

Chemdawg Strain

Chemdawg (also known as Chemdog) is one of the favorite hybrid strains for diesel and spicy lovers out there. With its 18% THC levels, expect a euphoric high that can help with cerebral and body stress thanks to its reported effects. With an earthy and gasoline smell mixed with pine and woody flavors, this bud’s profile is slightly more complicated than your typical kush. It is also reported to be potent, so we recommend this for intermediate users or stronger migraines.

Gelato Strain

The Gelato strain is a must-try if you’ve got a sweet tooth. This hybrid strain is relatively balanced, with a healthy 16% THC level. It has delicious vanilla, minty, and sweet notes that almost feel like having ice cream during the summer. People using this strain love its iconic flavors, profile, and reported stress-relieving effects. We recommend this strain if you want something balanced, which can keep you productive, but users have found it lowers their stress levels and minor to mid pain.

Jack Herer Strain

As one of the classic strains, the Sativa-dominant Jack Herer is an excellent choice if you like pine flavors. This bud is perfect if you prefer the piney and woody profiles. Users love this strain because of its energizing and uplifting effects, which can be a game changer for migraines that make you feel irritable. This flower has fairly high THC levels at 18%, and with Terpinolene as its primary terpene, it can be helpful for mild to intermediate headaches, according to Jack’s fans.

Ray Charles Strain

Named after one of the most prominent musicians, this pure Indica strain can help with nighttime headaches. This bud has intense THC levels, rounding up to the 21% in some varieties. Some people prefer this strain as it can provide a numbing effect, which, paired with its head buzz, can relieve pain and help you disconnect from racing thoughts. The body high is pretty potent as well, so we don’t recommend this unless you want to stay calm and relaxed.

AK-47 Strain

The AK-47 strain could be a good choice for migraine and tension if you also want a few euphoric effects. Users often describe this strain as fast-acting and a favorite for pungent and spicey lovers. As an Indica strain, users have come close to AK-47 due to its reported muscle and mind-relaxing effects. It is also known for giving munchies, so be prepared with some snacking. While pretty balanced in taste, this strain has about 19% of THC levels, which is strong enough to make you feel relaxed yet not couch-locked. Some users even report feeling talkative or social when having it, which could make it a good strain to enjoy during the late afternoon or weekends.

Wedding Cake Strain

Don’t worry, you won’t need to have an engagement ring ready for this flower. The Wedding Cake strain is one of our absolute favorite strains regarding potency, flavor, and effects. As an Indica-dominant hybrid flower, it has the best of both worlds. It is relaxing, yet not numbing enough to be social. And its high 24% of THC with the speck of 1% of CBG can be beneficial for midday toking. While not as powerful for pain as others on the list, you can brighten your day up with its creamy vanilla and citrus notes that feel like a treat.

Mag Landrace Strain

Last but not least, meet one of the purest Indica strains available. Mag Landrace is one of the most potent flowers on the list, with some varieties peaking at 30% of THC. This strain can be great for migraines as users report it starts with a pretty happy high that slowly drifts into sleepy relaxation. This strain is not for beginners, as it can be intense with just a few tokes. Users usually recommend this for people with chronic pain, adding to the pretty herbal, spicey, and savory flavor profile.

Strains for Migraines: Reddit's Picks

Now, we always consider what the community says about their favorite strains. So, we’ve made a particular part for Reddit’s picks when they need a little extra help with a nasty migraine. We delved into some subreddits and here are some of the top picks that the community loves:

Super Silver Haze Strain

One of the fan favorites of Reddit, this Sativa strain is potent but also very herbal and spicy. Varieties of this strain can go up to 20% of THC levels, with reported uplifting effects that are great if stress is the main reason you think you’ve got headaches lately. Flavor-wise, expect spicy and herbal notes with citrusy and skunky undertones. With a somewhat complex profile, this strain is pretty different from some of the list, making it perfect if you are bored of simple strains.

Girl Scout Cookies Strain

Known as well as GSC, this strain is a classic for all the sweet lovers out there. With its classic minty and pastry-like notes, we can see why it was a fan favorite. This Indica-dominant hybrid is perfect if you want to unwind and chill with its 19% of THC levels. Effects-wise, most people use this strain for stress. So we’d say this flower is better for lower to mid-level headaches that might have come from chronic stress in your life.

Cheesequake Strain

Reddit users chose a pretty unusual strain for pain. With its 19% of THC levels, this bud has funky sour and cheese-like notes. This strain is not your typical kush. Users have said to feel relaxed and carefree while also having uplifting body sensations, perfect for tension headaches during the day.

Jammy Dodgers strain

A classic pastry, this strain is also a fan favorite from the community. With earthy and sweet notes, this strain is believed to uplift your mood by making you feel creative, giggly, and pretty much relaxed. Users have described this Indica strain as couch-locking while also carrying creamy strawberry and jam-like taste, with a few chocolate and herbal-like undertones. If pastries are your thing and you want something on the sweet side, this can be an excellent bud to try from.

Peanut Butter Breath

Lastly, this could be your dog’s favorite if it could try it. Peanut Butter Breath is a complex hybrid strain with very potent sedative effects. As its name suggests, it has delicious nutty notes that mix with butter and even chestnut-like notes. Most people use this strain for relaxation and stress thanks to its hefty 21% THC and its primary terpene, Limonene. As a hybrid, this strain could be helpful for daytime headaches or migraines, as it can relax you without couch-locking or knocking you down. Thanks for stopping by! Why not give some flower from our Farms a try?