Nature's Pharmacy: Ancient Knowledge, Modern Medicine
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
Bachelor's buttons, featherfew, featherfoil, wild chamomile
Name, Habitat and Appearance
Feverfew is a perennial member of the aster family (Asteraceae) that is native to the Balkan Peninsula, cultivated throughout Europe and brought to the New World by settlers. It now grows wild along roadsides and in fields and pasturelands. Feverfew looks very much like a chrysanthemum, hence it's name Chrysanthemum parthenium found in older herbal books. The plants have broad lobed, aromatic leaves, a tall stem and white daisy-like flowers.
History
The use of Feverfew, best known by the name Bachelor's-button, can be traced as far back as the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who regarded it as a valuable remedy for headaches, joint pain, stomach aches, and fever. Sprigs were bound to the wrists to ward off fevers. It was studied extensively in the 15th and 16th century by apothecaries, but most notably by the English herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper, who found that "It 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; as also for the Vertigo, that is a sunning or swimming of the head." Feverfew gives off a strong and lasting odor and was planted around houses to purify the air and to ward off disease.
Historical Uses
- To alleviate headaches and migraines
- Slight sedative
- Dizziness
- Arthritis
- Colds
- Fevers
- Cramps
- Worms
- To regulate menses
- Antiseptic
Warnings
May cause dermatitis or allergic reactions. Mouth sores are common. It should never be used during pregnancy.
Modern Medicinal Uses
For 2,000 years Feverfew has been used to alleviate the pain caused by headaches, mainly migraines. Because of its main active ingredient Parthenolide, which is a chemical that provides Feverfew with its anti-inflammatory properties, it is used for many other ailments. A tea of leaves or flowers is used for colic, colitis, indigestion, colds, arthritis, osteoporosis, bursitis, alcoholism, flatulence, menstrual cramps, and the pain associated with tendinitis. Feverfew contains niacin and iron that provides nutrition to the central nervous system. Current research confirms that Feverfew extracts may delay the onset of migraine headaches.
The photograph of feverfew used in the exhibit.
Click here for more great sites on feverfew.
|
