If the hair was carelessly discarded, the fear was that a bird would find the hair and carry it off and use it for nest-building. Apparently, if this happened the head of the owner of the hair would ache all the time that the bird was building the nest.
Whether the headache was acquired in this way or in a more mundane way, there were several folk remedies for headaches.
An infusion made from elderflowers was held to be a cure for headaches, as was an infusion of lime flowers, an infusion of dried rosemary or an infusion of chamomile. A tea made from betony was also regarded as curative.
A more complicated cure involved taking some centuary, feverfew and chamomile and boiling them in a water until the liquid was reduced by half. Some rhubarb was added to the hot liquid.
Another cure had coltsfoot as a base. The coltsfoot leaves were boiled in water and sweetened with syrup made from sugar and water. A cupful of this was to be drunk. This was a versatile cure as it was a remedy for coughs, colds and giddines as well as headaches.
The Greek and Romans used peppermint as a cure for headaches. Later, cures taken internally included cinnamon, honey, and apple. Rosemary, chamomile, dock, lavender, balm and meadowsweet were herbs that were taken internally as a cure.
Other herbs that were used in the cure of headaches were angelica, basil, betony, feverfew, pennyroyal, St. John wort, valerian, viper's bugloss and wintergreen.
Externally applied, fresh elder leaves were thought to be curative, as were slices of raw potato, cabbage poultices and onion poultices. Clove oil could be rubbed on the temples, as could lavender oil and vinegar. Clove oil could also be used as an inhalant.
A preventive for headaches dating from the fifteenth century involved distilling a mixture of vervain, betony and wormwood and then washing the head in it several times a week.
A solution for washing the head to cure headaches consisted of mixing salt, vinegar, water and brandy. A towel soaked in very hot water, wrung out and wound round the head was meant to bring quite quick relief.
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