General Description
Feverfew (also known as featherfew, featherfoil, or bachelor's buttons)
is a perennial, upright, herbaceous plant native to central and
southern Europe and naturalized in Austalia and most parts of North
America. Reaching approximately 60 centimeters in height, feverfew
has a finely furrowed, multiple-branched, hairy stem and a strong,
bitter smell, which is particularly disliked by bees. The yellowish-green,
alternate leaves are roughly 11 centimeters long and 5 centimeters
wide, the lower ones with deeply incised lobes and the upper ones
divided into two or three pairs of toothed segments. Feverfew flowers
from midsummer to fall, bearing numerous small, daisylike blossoms
with flat, yellow centers surrounded by 10 to 20 white petals. The
leaves of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.
Health Applications
- Migraine headaches
- Inflammation
History and Traditional Use
Feverfew has been used for a wide variety of medicinal purposes
for over 2,000 years. The common name of the herb is a corruption
of the Latin febrifuge, a reference to feverfew's purported fever-reducing
capabilities. The ancient Greek physician Dioscorides valued the
herb for its effect on the uterus,1 an opinion
shared by 17th Century British herbalist Nicholas Culpeper, who
recommended the herb to strengthen the womb and aid in the expulsion
of the placenta after childbirth.2 In folk medicine,
feverfew has been used for cramps, intestinal parasites, migraine
prevention, and arthritis. It has also been used as a tonic, a stimulant,
a digestive aid, and blood purifier.3 With the
exception of migraine prophylaxis, there is little scientific evidence
to support any of these traditional uses.
Chemical Composition
The active constituents in feverfew leaves are believed to be
the sesquiterpene lactones, particularly parthenolide. The leaves
also contain flavonoids and volatile oils. Feverfew extracts are
commonly standardized for constistent parthenolide levels.
Migraine
Most of the research on the medicinal uses of feverfew leaves
has focused on their potential in migraine prophylaxis. In a number
of small studies, feverfewĉwas shown to reduce the frequency and
severity of migraine attacks.4-7 Although
feverfew's mechanism of action in migraine treatment is unclear,
it is believed to stem from the herb's impact on blood platelet
function. Studies have shown that feverfew inhibits the release
of arachidonic acid (a fatty acid from which inflammatory prostaglandins
are derived) from blood platelets and helps keep platelets from
clumping together.8,9 These observations could
account for feverfew's impact on migraine, and suggest potential
for treatment of other inflammatory conditions.
Dosage/Toxicity
The recommended daily dosage for feverfew is 50 to 1,200 mg of
leaf powder.3 There are no known side effects
at this dosage. Feverfew has no known toxicity. Skin exposure
to fresh feverfew can cause allergic reactions such as contact
dermatitis in some individuals.10 Because
feverfew may interfere with the production of prostaglandins involved
in blood clotting, people on blood-thinning medications (such
as aspirin or warfarin) should only take feverfew under a physician's
close supervision. |
