| Feverfew has had a long history of medicinal use. Steven Foster, one of America's most eminent herbalists, points out in his excellent monograph on feverfew thatDioscorides, a first century Greek physician, recommended it over 1900 years ago。Foster further informs us that feverfew has been used throughout the world in various cultures in a number of other ways. It has been used as a carminative (relieves stomach problems-gaseous distention and flatulence), emmenagogue (substance which promotes menstrual discharge), tonic, vermifuge (expeller of parasitic worms), and anti inflammatory agent for arthritis. It has also been used for the treatment of kidney pain, vertigo, and relief from morning sickness. |
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| specifications︰ | Parthenolide 0.3%, 0.8%.0.9%HPLC |
| Advantages︰ | Function: Feverfew has had a long history of medicinal use. Steven Foster, one of America's most eminent herbalists, points out in his excellent monograph on feverfew thatDioscorides, a first century Greek physician, recommended it over 1900 years ago。Foster further informs us that feverfew has been used throughout the world in various cultures in a number of other ways. It has been used as a carminative (relieves stomach problems-gaseous distention and flatulence), emmenagogue (substance which promotes menstrual discharge), tonic, vermifuge (expeller of parasitic worms), and anti inflammatory agent for arthritis. It has also been used for the treatment of kidney pain, vertigo, and relief from morning sickness.Parthenolide content
A strongly aromatic perennial, feverfew bears a daisy-like disc, or head, of strongly crowded bisexual yellow flowers with a single row of white ray florets. Two well publicized British studies, one conducted at the City of London Migraine Clinic in collaboration with Chelsea College , and the other at Nottingham's University Hospital , used material conforming to this description. Dried leaf, acquired from the Chelsea Physic Garden with a parthenolide (asesquiterpene lactone thought to be the active ingredient) at a concentration of 0.42%, was used in the London clinical trial. However, it should be noted that the parthenolide content varies in the three or four varieties available and that the greatest percentage of parthenolide is not to be found in the leaves of the variety chosen for the British studies but in a form (T. parthenium flosculosum) without ray florets.
Migraine Treatment
Both above mentioned studies produced significant results. The London study featured a double-blind preliminary effort with 17 participants, all of whom were already feverfew users. The nine participants who received placebos all experienced significant increases in the frequency and severity of headaches, nausea, and vomiting. The Nottingham study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover study with more participants and of longer duration (nearly a year). Participants (59 completed the study) consumed capsules of dried leaves (0.66% parthenolide) which weighed 40-114 mg., an amount approximately equivalent to two dried leaves. The consumption of feverfew resulted in decreases in the frequency and severity of migraines–the duration of the attacks, however, remained unaffected.
Roughly 70% of the participants showed improvement. This compares very well withclaims that only 50% of migraine sufferers benefit from pharmaceuticals. Within the last decade feverfew has been indelibly linked with migraine abolishment or amelioration. It will, no doubt, eventually gain a solid reputation for this as regulatory agencies put in place mechanisms to assure the quality of phytomedicinals, like feverfew, which have proven to be efficacious. The evidence for this therapeutic claim comes primarily from investigations done in the last decade in Britain where feverfew long ago became a mainstay of traditional folk medicine.
Bioactive Agent
The proof that parthenolide is the principal bioactive agent in feverfew is still scant. However, no feverfew product without parthenolide content has been shown to be effective in ameliorating migraine. Parthenolide has been found to reduce degranulation and the subsequent release of serotonin (5-HT, a neurotransmitterand vasoactive amine) from platelets. As serotonin release is thought to precipitate attacks due to cerebrovascular spasm, parthenolide has been accepted as feverfew's main pharmacological agent. However, many other compounds have been discovered in T. parthenium. These include tanetin (a lipophilic flavonol), centaureidin, quercetagetin, apigenin, luteolin, and other bioflavonoids, some of which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. As with ginkgo biloba and otherphytomedicinals, feverfew's chemical composition is complex, and as the etiologyof migraine is only poorly understood, it will be left to future research to expain feverfew's capacity to reduce migraine attacks.
Long Term Use
Now a word about VRP's Feverfew Extract and its use. The long term effect of prolonged feverfew consumption is still unknown. For this reason pregnant women, small children, and nursing mothers should not use feverfew. In the London study of
long-term users, approximately 12% of the participants developed minor ulcerations of the mouth. They chewed doses of the leaf regularly for at least three month
s before the trial. Therefore, it seems reasonable to curtail use afterthis period. Mouth ulceration may be a systemic effect and not due to contact dermatitis as consumption of encapsulated product did not reduce incidence of minor ulcerations. Canada 's HPB (Health Protection Branch) has advised people to continue consumption after four months only with the approval of their physician. VRP is aware of the research discussed above and the presence of many valueless feverfew products on the market. In response to this we have formulated a product meeting Canada 's HPB requirements. Our product, a 4:1 extract, has tested at 0.28% parthenolideby HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography) and is formulated to provide at least 250 micrograms of parthenolide per dose. According to the research, one capsule per day should be sufficient for migraine prophylaxis. Take only on advisement of a physician. |
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