Plant -
Feverfew is native to southeastern Europe, the Balkans. It has been spread through out the world either as an ornamental plant or being cultivated for medicinal use.
Feverfew is a perennial that grows to about 2 feet high. The stems are furrowed and hairy, They stand straight up. (This is helpful in identification, for chamomile looks very much like feverfew, has stems that lay down).
The leaves are alternating on the stem. bipennatifid (doubly divided leaf) with serrate(teeth-like) margins. (wild chamomile has more feathery leaves)
The flower is daisy-like, with white ray petals, and a yellow center that is flat. (chamomile flowers look very similar, but the yellow center of chamomile is cone shaped and the flowers are larger)
The odor of the plant when bruised is strong, aromatic and bitter.
The whole plant has been used medicinally, but it is the leaves that are of main use now. These are harvested before the flowers are fully formed. The leaves are then either dried in the shade or freezed fresh. The flowers can be harvested too and are used in various ways.
MIGRAINE HEADACHES -
When it was found that feverfew did not stand up to its name of reducing fevers, it lost its popularity. As a folk treatment, it continued to be used. It is as recent as the late 1970's that there has been renewed interest in the herb. The London Migraine Clinic became interested in feverfew after hearing of the relief gained by the wife of the chief medical officer of the National Coal Board in England. A coal miner suggested the feverfew folk remedy.of chewing some of the leaves. There was a dramatic decrease in the severity and the number of migraines. Dr. E. Stewart Johnson of the clinic tested feverfew on 10 of his patients with good results. A larger test was done with 70% of the patients experiencing relief.
Feverfew is now used to reduce and prevent migraine headaches and the associated symptoms of nausea and vomiting. The herb must be taken regularly, daily, to act as a preventative. It may take several months of using feverfew to obtain results. Feverfew works best for chronic, re-occurring migraine headaches. The herb reduces the number of headaches and decreases the intensity and shortens the time of the migraine. It does not seem to help with cluster headaches, tension headaches, or rebound headaches. Those people who have not been relieved by prescription or over-the-counter medication, are more likely to benefit from feverfew. Those with migraines that are relieved by the application of heat are more likely to have relief with the herb than those people who find that cold helps.
It is important to have your migraine-type headaches diagnosed by your health care practitioner. Some diseases have migraine-type headaches as one of their symptoms. (brain tumors, abscess, meningitis, stroke, infection, high blood pressure). If you have started to have migraine headaches and never had them before or if your headaches have changed in severity, or feels different - check it out.
Studies -
A number of studies have been done on feverfew. There are 5 studies that are regularly pointed to in the literature - 3 of the studies showed that feverfew reduced the number of and the severity of the headaches, 2 of the studies showed no significant difference between the herb and a placebo (a "sugar pill", has no action).There is still a question in the medical community whether feverfew works. It is felt that more controlled studies are needed using a greater number of people.
Migraine headaches are caused by the dilation of the blood vessels in the head. With each pulse of blood there is a throbbing pain. Often, there is constriction of the blood vessels before the dilation, this accounts for the"auras" (visual, auditory, feeling) that some people have at the onset of a migraine. One chemical contributing to migraines is serotonin, which causes a reduction of blood flow to the brain. The body then responds by opening up the vessels and this can start the pounding headache. Platelets, a type of cell in the blood that is involved in clot formation, releases serotonin when triggered by various chemicals.
Feverfew appears to work through a number of pathways and chemicals. Feverfew contains chemicals called, Sesquiterpene lactones. Parthenolide, is the one that has been most studied.
Parthenolide inhibits the release of serotonin from platelets.
It inhibits the release of histamine.
It prevents the synthesis of prostaglandins.
It decreases the secretion of enzymes by polymorphonuclear leukocytes(a white blood cell) that increases inflammation.
Parthenolide and other chemicals in feverfew decreases the response of smooth muscle, including that in blood vessels, to chemicals in the body that cause constriction.
Feverfew prevents the clumping together of platelets (part of the clot forming component of the blood.) This clumping has been seen to be related to migraine headaches. The herb seems to do this in a different way from aspirin or other NSAID's (ibuprofen, naproxen, Vioxx, Celebrex).
Here is where another contradiction occurs in feverfew. Studies have shown that parthenolide reduces the number of migraine headaches. One study using an alcohol extract of parthenolide has shown that the chemical, just by itself, does not prevent the headaches. Still other studies have shown that feverfew plant material that contains no parthenolide prevents migraine headaches. So what is happening? There may be other chemicals not isolated as yet, that are causing the prevention of migraines. Recently a new flavonol, tanetin, was found in feverfew. This may also reduce inflammation. Another suggested possibility is that the chemlcal, parthenolide, needs to be with the plant material to be available to the body.
Cold feverfew tea helps to relieve the cold, clammy sweats that may occur with migraines. The herb also helps to relieve nausea and stimulate the appetite.
If you are having chronic migraine headaches, you need to find the trigger for them. Keep a daily diary of what you eat, smell, feel, how you sleep, everything. Then compare for any differences between the days you are free of headache and the day of a headache, the day before, even the day before that. I have suffered from almost daily migraines for most of my life. It wasn't until I kept a dairy of everything that I noticed that particular allergies were causing my headaches. Perfume and petroleum products are major contributors to my headaches. As you can see, any time I leave the house, I am exposed to these things. Then it was finding which of the 18+ chemicals that are classified as antihistamines (histamine blockers) would stop these allergic reactions. For me, chlorpheniramine and meclizine work, the other antihistamines, including the new prescription ones, do not. You are going to have to experiment on yourself as to which antihistamine helps you - if allergies are the trigger for your migraine headaches. Other triggers might be changes in air pressure (an approaching storm), flashing lights, lack of sleep or too much sleep.
"Transformed migraine" - daily or near-daily headaches that develop in those with occasional migraines. They have been shown to have a vascular component the same as other migraines. These headaches are sometimes due to over use of drugs for the control of migraine. To overcome them, the medication must be stopped.
Migraines in children may show up as stomach pain, nausea and vomiting. Stress and mast cell activity (releases histamine) are related to these headaches. It was found that using relaxation techniques helped the migraine symptom, possibly through the reduction of mast cell activity.
Anti-inflammatory Action of Feverfew-
Feverfew is used by some for arthritis and rheumatism. It may be useful in the active inflammatory stages of arthritis.
An old remedy suggests steeping feverfew in olive oil (2 weeks) then applying externally to the area of inflammation and pain.
There are people who claim that taking the herb (internally) does help with the pain and stiff joints. Is this placebo action? The scientific studies that have been done using feverfew for rheumatoid arthritis have not shown any benefit. You will see in various articles that it is used for inflammation, even that it is more effective than aspirin or other non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. Studies of the actions of particular chemicals in the plant do show they can decrease inflammation produced by hormones and other chemicals (prostaglandins, histamine) in the body. These actions are different than the way aspirin works. However, it still has yet to be proved in the body total in a good double-blind study.
Feverfew Uses for Women -
As mentioned in the general section, several of the common names refer to the use of feverfew in women.
Feverfew has antiprostaglandin actions (prostaglandins have action thru out the body. including the contraction of smooth muscle in the uterus) This makes the herb useful in menstrual problems. This action and the relaxation of blood vessels increases menstrual flow and inhibits the clumping of platelets, which decreases clotting - allows feverfew to be used for sluggish menstruation.
Feverfew acts to stimulate uterine contractions and has been used to help in childbirth.
Please continue to the next page for
more medical uses.
Wolf Dog Circle Herbs - Feverfew pg.2 - Other Medical Uses, Precautions, Doses
Wolf Dog Circle Herbs - Feverfew pg.3 - Food and Other Uses, Magickal Correspondences and Uses
Wolf Dog Circle Herbs - main page - Index, Disclaimer
