Feverfew

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is commonly used for the treatment of migraine headaches, arthritis, and various type of allergies. This herb is thought to exert its pharmacological activity by 

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Fieber-klee, m. buck bean (Menyanthea). -kraut, n. feverfew, -mittel, n. febrifuge, antipyretic. 

Mutter-kraut, n. feverfew, -kuchen, m. placenta, -kummel, m. cumin, -lauge, /. mother liquor, -leib, m. womb, uterus, -neike, /. mother clove, -pech, n. Med.) meeonium. -pflanze, /, parent plant, -scheibe, /. Mach.) nut washer, -schliissel, m. nut wrench, -sicherung, /. Mach.) nut lock, -stoff, m, -substanz, /, mother substance, parent substance matrix, -ver-schluss, m. Mach.) nut lock, -zelle, /. mother cell, parent cell, -zimt, m. cassia. Mutung,/. claim, demand, concession. 

Dong quai Fenugreek Feverfew Garlic Ginger Ginkgo Horse chestnut ... 

Some studies have evaluated the quantity of a specific constituent in various herbal products by a thin-layer chromatography spectrophotometric method. Of 44 feverfew products that were evaluated, 14 (32%) did not contain the minimum of 0.2% parthenolide content (active ingredient) and 10 (22%) did not contain any detectable levels of parthenolide [30]. 

Many dietary supplements should be avoided in pregnancy because they may have emmenagogue activity, promoting menstruation. Some herbs that are considered emmenagogues are feverfew, garlic, and hawthorn [4]. St. John s wort should be avoided in pregnancy due to its emmenagogue and abortifacient properties. 

Many dietary supplements have antiplatelet activity, which may increase the risk of bleeding when used concurrently with anticoagulants. Feverfew inhibits cyclooxygenase and phospholipase A2 and may interact with anticoagulants and potentiate the antiplatelet effect of aspirin. Other supplements that possess antiplatelet activity include but are not limited to garlic, ginkgo, vitamin E, vitamin A, and selenium. 

Heptinstall S, Awang DVS, Dawson BA, Kindack D, Knight DW, May J. Parthenolide content and bioactivity of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium (1.) Schultz-Bip.). Estimation of commercial and authenticated feverfew products. J Pharm Pharmacol 44 391-395, 1992. 

Dean K. Feverfew process for preparing micro-clustered water. HerbalGram 43 25, 1998. 

When his gaze returned to mine I held it, then reached up and pulled the pins from my hair. It fell heavily about me with a breath of chamomile and feverfew he caught at the locks with both hands and buried his face in them so that they overflowed between his fingers. Then he let it fall and put up a hand to stroke the strands away from my face, and kissed me, not greedily now, but as if in a trance. 

Sumner H, Umit S, Knight DW, Hoult JRS. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. Inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase in leukocytes by feverfew Involvement of sesquiterpene lactones and other components. Biochem Pharmacol 1992 43 2313-2320. 

The primary active chemical constituent in feverfew is parthenolide, a sesquiterpenoid lactone (figure 8.8) (Robbers et al. 1996). Levels of sesquiterpene lactones vary across different types of extracts ethanol extracts contain about 0.5%, whereas aqueous ones contain 0.3% (Gromek et al. 1991). The sesquiterpene lactones in feverfew inhibit the... 

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). Reprinted with permission from Sturdivant and Blakely. (1999). Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field, and Marketplace. Friday Flarbor, WA San Juan Naturals. Illustration by Peggy Sue McRae. 

Sambo 1988). Nonsesquiterpene lactones in feverfew were also found to inhibit eicosanoid synthesis with high potency (Sumner et al. 1992). 

No significant adverse effects are known to result from typical doses of feverfew (Gruenwald 1998). 

A contact dermatitis occurs infrequently. Because feverfew also inhibits human blood platelet aggregation, interactions are possible with antithrombotic medications such as aspirin or warfarin (Groenewegen and Heptinstall 1990). Abrupt discontinuation of feverfew by people taking it chronically for treatment of migraine can produce rebound withdrawal symptoms. These consist of migraines, anxiety, poor sleep patterns, and stiffness of the muscles and joints. 

Barsby RW, Saian U, Knight DW, Houit JR. (1993). Feverfew and vascular smooth muscle extracts from fresh and dried piants show opposing pharmacoiogical profiles, dependent upon sesquiterpene iactone content. Planta Med. 59(1) 20-25. 

Groenewegen WA, Heptinstall S. (1990). A comparison of the effects of an extract of feverfew and parthenolide, a component of feverfew, on human platelet activity in-vitro. J Pharm Pharmacol. 

Murillo-Rodriguez E, Sanchez-Alavez M, Navarro L, Martinez-Gonzalez D, Drucker-Colin R, Prospero-Garcia 0. (1998). Anandamide modulates sleep and memory in rats. Brain Res. 812(1-2) 270-4. Murphy JJ, Fleptinstall S, Mitchell JR. (1998). Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention. Lancet. 2(8604) 189-92. 

Pattrick M, Fleptinstall S, Doherty M. (1989). Feverfew in rheumatoid arthritis a double blind, placebo controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis. 48(7) 547-49. 

Pugh WJ, Sambo K. (1988). Prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors in feverfew. J Pharm Pharmacol. 40(10) 743-45. 

Vogler BK, Pittler MH, Ernst E. (1998). Feverfew as a preventive treatment for migraine a systematic review. Cephalalgia. 18(10) 704-8. 

BACKGROUND ASPECTS History of the medicinal use of feverfew Today s claims and uses Administration of the herb feverfew... 

SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS Botanical classification Chemical constituents of feverfew Biological activity... 

Effects in in vitro systems and possible evidence for modes of action Effects in in vivo models Effects in ex vivo studies Clinical trials conducted with feverfew... 

During the past 10 to 15 years the herb feverfew has received much attention from both the general public and the scientific community. In the late... 

It was against this background that the research into feverfew in the early 1980 s was performed. A number of investigations have now been carried out into the plant s in vitro biological actions, the chemical components responsible for these actions and suggestions have been put forward as to its mode of action. Furthermore, a limited amount of data are available about the clinical effects of feverfew. The aim of this chapter is to give an overview to date of the facts about the herb feverfew with respect to its chemical, biological and clinical properties. 

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