Feverfew - The Powerful Anti-Migraine Herb

Feverfew has very much been used for headaches and fevers for over two thousand years. It is known as a perennial herb, belonging to the sunflower family and grows in gardens as well as in the wild all over Europe and the United States. Its flower resembles a small daisy, with a slightly citrus odor. The name feverfew also stems from the Latin word febrifuge, referring to its fever dispelling properties, additionally to its properties as a potent tonic.

Feverfew is also one of the oldest herbs used as a cure for lowering fever, arthritis, headaches and migraines. Historically speaking, it has been used to treat anemia, dyspepsia, earache, trauma, dysmenorrheal, arthritis, intestinal parasites, and as an abortion inducing drug in unwanted pregnancies. The herb was also often planted in gardens for controlling other harmful and noxious pests. Modern pharmaceutical studies have indeed demonstrated that feverfew has certain extraordinary properties. Its use historically in treating fever, migraine, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions indicates its similarity of action to anti-inflammatory agents of non-steroidal origin, such as aspirin. Feverfew extracts have also been shown to inhibit the production of inflammation causing compounds, in the initial phases of its synthesis process.

Just like aspirin, feverfew also tends to inhibit platelet aggregation as well as inflammatory and allergic mediator secretions such as serotonin and histamine. Feverfews parthenoilde, the main active ingredient, has been found to have a tonic effect on vascular and smooth muscles. It is also assumed that feverfews action on platelet aggregation and on smooth muscles might well be the reason for its effectiveness in treating headaches and migraine.

The historical use of feverfew over the centuries, for migraine, arthritis and fever, along with its popularity in Europe has created the environment for its scientific study today. So far, science has confirmed its efficiency in controlling and treating migraine headaches. Further research has been a benefit towards demonstrating the herb's other properties.

Anyone suffering from headaches will agree that migraine headaches are the worst and most debilitating conditions ever experienced. Feverfew has since proven to be exceptional in its ability to treat and soothe migraine headaches. This in turn has created an increase in scientific interest and serious research was begun in Great Britain in the nineteen-seventies in order to scientifically investigate the nature of the chemical components as well as their action. One of the many studies conducted in 1970 on 270 migraine patients, established that 70% of those who had daily consumed feverfew over an extended period, had found a decrease in intensity and or frequency of migraine attacks. This led to two clinical investigations over the preventive and therapeutic possibilities of migraine treatment with feverfew.

Feverfew continues to be under study today and physicians caution its continuous use without any kind of medical supervision. The herb has also shown to be very promising as history has shown its beneficial uses in progress for hundreds of years.