Feverfew
Solgar Standardised Full Potency Feverfew Leaf Extract
Swiss Herbal Remedies Feverfew Tincture 50ml
Viridian Organic Feverfew 400mg Veg Caps
Tanacetum parthenium
‘Safe and Effective Migraine Treatment’
History
Feverfew is a herb with a long tradition of use as a medicine throughout Europe. Its name is derived from the Latin ‘febris fugure’, meaning to drive away fever. The name then alludes to one of its uses.
In the herbal written by John hill in 1772 feverfew is recommended for headaches, and not just any headache, but as the author states, ‘the worst kind of headache’.
Modern Findings
Feverfew as a potentially powerful remedy first came to the attention of the medical profession in the 1970′s. Dr. Stewart Johnson’s interest in feverfew was aroused when he learned that people in Wales were taking the fresh leaves in salads and sandwiches as a home remedy for migraine, and with a good degree of success. After speaking to the people using it he set up one of the first clinical trials on the plant.
Of 253 people taking feverfew nearly 70% found it helpful. Interestingly, around 78% of people with tension headaches found it helpful also, reducing both the frequency and severity of attacks. About a third of migraine sufferers actually stopped having migraine attacks altogether. In other cases the patients taking feverfew had the ‘aura’ but no headache.
It has also been shown in trials that migraine sufferers taking feverfew have less nausea and vomiting that accompanies migraine, and the orthodox drugs people were taking along with the feverfew appeared to be more effective even though the two treatments taken together did not have any negative interactions.
Trials on feverfew have been carried out at centres such as the London Migraine Clinic and Nottingham University.
So how does feverfew work?
The cause of migraine is poorly understood, but is thought to be due to the fact that platelets and certain white blood cells release chemicals that cause the blood vessels in the head to contract and then expand rapidly which leads to the headache. Some of the chemicals involved are thought to be serotonin and prostaglandins.
Feverfew contains chemicals known as parthenolides. It has been shown that the parthenolides effectively block the release of the chemicals from platelets and white blood cells that may lead to migraine. Another interesting finding to back up this observation is that during the clinical trials on feverfew, those people who also had rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement in their joint pain and inflammation whilst taking the feverfew. The reason for this is that part of the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis is also fuelled by the release of chemicals from white blood cells. Feverfew, as we saw, blocked these chemicals. The anti-inflammatory effect of feverfew is similar in fact to the mechanism of action of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin.
Feverfew is best taken long term
One of the most interesting findings of trials on feverfew is that it has to be taken over the long term. Some of the trials themselves extended over two years. It was observed that the effect of feverfew builds up over the first four to six months and is then sustained as long as the feverfew is taken. You have to keep taking it though. People who stop taking feverfew invariably find the migraines return. The good news on this though is that tests have shown that feverfew is perfectly safe to take for years, it does not alter any aspect of human biochemistry adversely.
Cautions and contra-indications:
Feverfew is a safe herb and does not interact with any other drugs.
It is safe for use in pregnancy and can be used by children.
There are some reports that users of feverfew have experienced mouth ulcers with continued use. This effect though is usually experienced by people who have been chewing the leaves.
Some individuals may be allergic to feverfew.
Although there are no documented reports of feverfew interacting with warfarin in humans; until more data are available, it is recommended that patients taking warfarin avoid products containing feverfew in order to prevent potentially serious bleeding.
