Feverfew - The Powerful Anti-Migraine Herb

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

Feverfew is one of the oldest herbs used as a cure for lowering fever, arthritis, headaches and migraines. Historically, it has been used to treat anemia, dyspepsia, earache, trauma, dysmenorrheal, arthritis, intestinal parasites, and as an abortion inducing drug in unwanted pregnancies. It was often planted in gardens for controlling other harmful and noxious pests. Modern pharmaceutical studies have indeed shown 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, like aspirin. Feverfew extracts have been shown to inhibit the production of inflammation causing compounds, in the initial stages of the synthesis process.

Like aspirin, feverfew inhibits platelet aggregation. Feverfew also inhibits inflammatory and allergic mediator secretions like serotonin and histamine. Feverfews parthenoilde, the main active ingredient, has been found to have a tonic effect on vascular and smooth muscles. It is assumed that feverfews action on platelet aggregation and on smooth muscles may 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 study scientifically today. So far, science has confirmed its efficacy in controlling and treating migraine headaches. Work continues on studying its other properties.

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

Feverfew continues to be under study and physicians caution its continuous use without medical supervision. It has shown to be promising and history has shown its beneficial use for hundreds of years.