Feverfew

With a name like feverfew it could be assumed correctly that this daisy like, aromatic, cooling plant was historically used as a fever reducing herb. The first-century Greek physician Dioscorides prescribed feverfew for “all hot inflammations” and as an antipyretic. It was known as “medieval aspirin” or the “aspirin” of the 18th century.

More recently feverfew has gained fame as a migraine herb and there has been a great deal of interest in its activity in the treatment and prevention of migraine headaches. The first modern, public account of its use as a preventative for migraine appeared in 1978. The story, reported in the British health magazine Prevention, concerned a patient who had suffered from severe migraines since the age of 16. At 68 years of age she began using three leaves of feverfew daily and after 10 months her headaches ceased completely. One large randomised controlled trial, conducted on 170 migraine patients, showed overall good tolerability and a reduction in migraine attacks with 6.25mg of feverfew extract.

Feverfew is also renowned as a herb for women. Headaches, irritability and tension associated with ‘liverish’ premenstrual symptoms can be treated with this bitter herb. As a traditional emmenagogue, sluggish menstrual flow and painful periods can also be relieved with feverfew. It has been used traditionally for the hot flushes of menopause and feverfew may also help arthritis when it is in the painfully active inflammatory stage.

References

Pareek A, Suthar M, Rathore GS, Bansal V. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.): A systematic review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011 Jan;5(9):103-10. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.79105. PMID: 22096324; PMCID: PMC3210009.

Puledda F, Shields K. Non-Pharmacological Approaches for Migraine. Neurotherapeutics. 2018 Apr;15(2):336-345. doi: 10.1007/s13311-018-0623-6. PMID: 29616493; PMCID: PMC5935652.

Trickey R. Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle. 3rd edn. Fairfield: Melbourne Holistic Health Group. 2011. p. 464-65

Hoffman D. The New Holistic Herbal. Melbourne:Element. 1990.p. 200

McIntyre A. The Complete Woman’s Herbal. Gai Books Limited:London. 1994. p. 131