Prescribing Therapeutic Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip., syn. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh.)

The established potential of the whole leaf of feverfew in migraine prevention has encouraged manufacturers of medicinal botanical preparations to pursue “standardization” of feverfew products. Such standardizing efforts have concentrated on the content of parthenolide, the putative active principle...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Integrative medicine : integrating conventional and alternative medicine 1998-12, Vol.1 (1), p.11-13
Main Author: Awang, Dennis V.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
feverfew
migraine
migraine prevention
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Summary:The established potential of the whole leaf of feverfew in migraine prevention has encouraged manufacturers of medicinal botanical preparations to pursue “standardization” of feverfew products. Such standardizing efforts have concentrated on the content of parthenolide, the putative active principle. The almost universal acceptance of this role for parthenolide in migraine prophylaxis is based on the hypothesis that the efficacy of feverfew is due to the ability of this germacranolide sesquiterpene to inhibit release of serotonin from blood platelets. The recent publication of the results of a clinical trial using a feverfew leaf extract containing an acceptable level of parthenolide—but found ineffective as a migraine prophylactic—discredits the parthenolide hypothesis. Clearly, more research is needed into both the mechanism of migraine prevention and the identity of feverfew’s active principle(s). Meanwhile, treatment ought to be confined to the use of whole dried leaf of an appropriate variety of this plant.
ISSN:1096-2190
DOI:10.1016/S1096-2190(98)00020-1