Feverfew as an Herb

(Tanacetum parthenium formerly Chrysanthemum parthenium)

Other Names: Bird's Foot, Foenugreek, Goat's Horn

Feverfew is the fresh or dried leaf of a member of the aster family native to the Balkan peninsula. It is naturalized in Europe, as well as in North and South America. Country people have long made curative uses of this herb, which grows abundantly throughout England.

The English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper (1787) wrote that feverfew "is very effectual for all pains in the head coming of a cold cause, the herb being bruised and applied to the crown of the head."

For more than 2,000 years, feverfew was a folk medicine taken internally.

Medicinal Uses for Feverfew

A tincture made from Feverfew and applied locally immediately relieves the pain and swelling caused by insect and vermin bites. It is said that if two teaspoonfuls of tincture are mixed with 1/2 pint of cold water, and all parts of the body likely to be exposed to the bites of insects are freely sponged with it, the bugs will stay away. A tincture of the leaves of the true Chamomile and of the German Chamomile will have the same effect.

A cold infusion is made from 1 ounce of the herb to a pint of boiling water, allowed to cool, and taken frequently in doses of half a tea-cupful.

An infusion of the flowers, made with boiling water and allowed to become cold, will allay any distressing sensitiveness to pain in a highly nervous subject, and will afford relief to the face ache or earache of a dyspeptic or rheumatic person.

Modern use focuses on feverfew to help prevent migraines. Feverfew gained popularity in Great Britain in the 1980s as an alternative to conventional medications for migraine headaches. A survey of 270 migraine sufferers in Great Britain revealed that more than 70 percent of individuals felt substantially better after ingesting an average of 2 to 3 fresh feverfew leaves daily.

Folklore

Planted round dwellings, feverfew is said to purify the atmosphere and ward off disease.

Culinary

The leaves of feverfew can be eaten as is, but the taste is described by most as "vile". As such it generally is not used for culinary purposes.

Caution

No long-term studies have been done on safety. Mouth ulcers have been reported in 7 to 12 percent of patients who chewed the fresh feverfew leaves; tongue inflammation, swelling of the lips, and occasional loss of taste sometimes prevent continued use. These symptoms disappear when use is stopped.

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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.