Soothe headaches naturally with Martha Ballard’s Migraine Balm—an 18th-century-inspired salve made from her original herbal tea recipe. Be Natural. Be Historic.
The Story of Our Martha Ballard’s Migraine BalmLong before pharmacies dotted every corner, people turned to the earth and each other for healing. In a modest home nestled in the wilds of 18th-century Maine, a midwife named Martha Ballard practiced and refined her healing arts. She turned to herbs like peppermint, chamomile, and feverfew—among others—to craft restorative teas. Through careful experimentation, she discovered the right balance to soothe headaches and muscle aches-as well as many other ailments-, offering comfort in a time when remedies were homemade and trust was earned.
Centuries later, her words—carefully inked into a leather-bound diary—found their way into our hands. Martha Ballard’s remedy spoke to us: simple, soothing, and rich with herbal tradition. Her tea for head and muscle aches, once brewed in an 18th-century Maine kitchen, became the spark for something new that could transition into our modern world.
Our Migraine Balm is our way of honoring her legacy. We took the very herbs from her tea—peppermint, rosemary, chamomile, and feverfew—and infused with essential oils into a rich base of beeswax, shea butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. This salve is meant to be massaged into necks, temples, and tired muscles, offering gentle, time-honored relief passed down through generations of women.
For migraines. For cluster headaches. For days when the world is too loud.
It’s more than a balm—it’s a piece of history. Women’s Wisdom, carried forward.
Martha Ballard: Midwife & Healer
Martha Ballard was born in 1735 in Oxford, Massachusetts and spent much of her adult life in Hallowell, Maine. A midwife, herbalist, and diarist, she became a trusted figure in her community—not through formal training, but through lived experience, intuition, and the accumulation of knowledge passed down through generations. Between 1785 and 1812, she delivered more than 800 babies, traveling by canoe, horseback, or on foot through rugged terrain to reach families in need.
Her skill as a healer was matched only by the meticulousness with which she documented her life. Over the course of 27 years, she penned nearly 10,000 diary entries that captured the rhythm of early American life—births, illnesses, herbal treatments, weather, community conflicts, and legal proceedings. She was often called to testify in court, consulted in paternity cases, and even attended autopsies, recording her observations with honesty and precision.
Martha’s remedies were personal and practical. She gathered herbs like peppermint, feverfew, and chamomile to craft teas, salves, and poultices. Her work was deeply rooted in connection—to her land, her neighbors, and the rhythms of nature. Her diary has become an essential historical record, brought to public attention by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in A Midwife’s Tale, which won the Pulitzer Prize and reshaped our understanding of women’s roles in early American medicine.
Today, Martha Ballard is remembered not only for her resilience and skill, but for the insight and humanity she brought to every aspect of her practice. Her legacy continues to inspire a deeper appreciation for the quiet power of care, and the knowledge that healing often begins at home.
Common Threads of Healing Across Cultures
Across cultures, centuries, and healing traditions—whether whispered in kitchens, stitched into cloth, or passed down in journals—there are certain themes that show up again and again.
1. Connection to Nature
• Healing often begins with the land—plants, roots, minerals, and water.
• Herbal remedies, salves, teas, and poultices are universal tools, whether in Scottish glens, Appalachian hollows, Himalayan villages, or untamed forests in Maine.
2. Storytelling and Memory
• Healing is rarely just physical—it’s emotional, ancestral, and communal.
• From Maratha Ballard’s diary to African griots and Indigenous oral traditions, stories preserve remedies, rituals, and resilience.
• Storytelling remains a vital part of modern trauma healing—whether spoken, stitched, or sketched—as a way for survivors to process experiences and reclaim their sense of self.
3. Women as Keepers of Care
• Midwives, herbalists, and caregivers have long been the backbone of community health.
• Their knowledge was often passed hand-to-hand, mother to daughter, apprentice to elder.
• Even when pushed to the margins by institutional medicine, their practices endured in kitchens, gardens, and quiet acts of care.
Why Choose Our Migraine Balm?
Because this isn’t just a balm—it’s a legacy.
Born from the pages of an 18th-century diary and brought to life with reverence, our balm channels the herbal wisdom of Maratha Ballard, a midwife who healed by instinct, earth, and care. We took her original tea recipe—used to soothe aching heads centuries ago—and thoughtfully transformed it into a topical salve for the modern world.
What makes it special:
• Anchored in real history: Inspired by Maratha’s handwritten remedy from her daily life in early Maine.
• Crafted with purpose: Peppermint, rosemary, feverfew, and chamomile essential oils are blended into a base of beeswax, shea butter, olive oil, and coconut oil for natural, effective relief.
• Gentle, holistic support: Designed for migraines, tension, and cluster headaches—without pills, synthetics, or side effects.
• Passed down with care: It carries the quiet strength of women who healed before us—an act of remembrance, restoration, and self-trust.
If you’re ready for something slower, kinder, and more rooted than what’s on the shelf—this is your balm.
Martha Ballard’s Migraine Balm ~ Natural Headache Relief from 18th Century
Ingredients Grown in Nature, Rooted in History
Each ingredient in this balm was chosen with purpose, drawing on both historical knowledge and modern understanding. Here’s a look at their traditional uses and why they were included in this soothing formula.Ingredient Origin & Benefit Organic Shea Butter Rich, creamy moisture from the African karité tree — soothes and protects skin. Olive Oil Mediterranean staple known for its nourishing, anti-inflammatory properties Organic Coconut Oil Cooling and deeply hydrating — helps balm glide smoothly on skin Organic Peppermint Oil Cooling relief to temples — awakens the senses and eases headache tension Organic Rosemary Oil Stimulates circulation and clarity — an age-old herbal support for pain Chamomile Oil Calming and soothing — softens stress and invites gentle relaxation Feverfew Oil Traditional remedy for migraines — known to reduce head discomfort