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Feverfew | | Name : | Feverfew | | Botanical : | Chrysanthemum Parthenium | | Latin : | Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Shultz Bip. | | Synonyms : | Bachelor'sbutton
Bride'sbutton
Compositae
Featherfew
Featherfoil
Febrifugeplant
Feverfew
Pyrethrum
WildChamomile
| | Family : | Compositae | | Parts Used : | Bark, dried flowers, and leaves. | | Habitat : | This bushy plant is native to southeastern Europe but is now foundin North and South America. Feverfew is a perennial plant that iscultivated but is occasionally found wild in waste places and alongroadsides and wood-borders from Quebec to Ohio and south to Marylandand Missouri, also in California. | | Picture : |  | | Description : | Feverfew (a corruption of Febrifuge, from its tonic and fever-dispelling properties) is a composite plant growing in every hedgerow, with numerous, small, daisy-like heads of yellow flowers with outer white rays, the central yellow florets being arranged on a nearly flat receptacle, not conical as in the chamomiles. The stem is finely furrowed and hairy, about 2 feet high; the leaves alternate, downy with short hairs, or nearly smooth-about 4 1/2 inches long and 2 inches broad - bipinnatifid, with serrate margins, the leaf-stalk being flattened above and convex beneath. It is not to be confounded with other wild chamomile-like allied species, which mostly have more feathery leaves and somewhat large flowers; the stem also is upright, whereas that of the true garden Chamomile is procumbent. The delicate green leaves are conspicuous even in mild winter. The whole plant has a strong and bitter smell, and is particularly disliked by bees. A double variety is cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes, and its flower-heads are sometimes substituted for the double Chamomile.
Country people have long been accustomed to make curative uses of this herb, which grows abundantly throughout England. Gerard tells us that it may be used both in drinks, and bound on the wrists is of singular virtue against the ague.
Pyrethrum is derived from the Greek pur (fire), in allusion to the hot taste of the root. | | Constituents : | Essential oil containing camphor, terpene, borneol, various estersand a bitter principle, pyrethrin, tannin, sesquiterpene lactones
Carminative (gas relief), emmenagogue (promotes menstrual flow),purgative (strong laxative), stimulant, bitter tonic, antipyretic(reduces fever), aperient (mild laxative), anti-inflammatory, vermifuge | | Uses : | Aperient, carminative, bitter. As a stimulant it is usefulas an emmenagogue. Is also employed in hysterical complaints, nervousness and lowness of spirits, and is a general tonic. The cold infusion is made from 1 OZ. of the herb to a pint of boiling water, allowed to cool, and taken frequently in doses of half a teacupful.
A decoction with sugar or honey is said to be good for coughs, wheezing and difficult breathing. The herb, bruised and heated, or fried with a little wine and oil, has been employed as a warm external application for wind and colic.
A tincture made from Feverfew and applied locally immediately relieves the pain and swelling caused by bites of insects and vermin. 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, they will remain unassailable. A tincture of the leaves of the true Chamomile and of the German Chamomile will have the same effect.
Planted round dwellings, it is said to purify the atmosphere and ward off disease.
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. | | Dosage : | Harvest shortly after flowering.
1-4 leaves chewed per day proven in the past to be effectivefor some migraine headaches, and is antiseptic. Do not use for migraineresulting from weak, deficiency condition.
To combat insects, a tincture made from feverfew mixed with 1/2pint of cold water will keep away the gnats, mosquitoes, andother pests. Feverfew has the power to relieve the pain and swellingcaused by the bites of insects and vermin. Bees find the odor andtaste of feverfew highly repulsive. | | Safety : | Do not use for migraine resulting from a weak, deficiency condition.Seek medical advice.
May cause dermatitis or allergic reactions. Mouth sores are common.Some people have developed mouth ulcers while taking feverfew. Discontinueuse if this occurs. Usually this condition comes from the fresh leaves,try sauteing the leaves first.
Patients taking blood thinning drugs should avoid taking feverfewbecause it can affect the clotting times of the blood. | | Myths : | There is a legend about feverfew, that this herb saved the life ofa person who fell off the famous temple in ancient Greece, the Parthenon.Hence, the name parthenium.
One reference is of the opinion that the name feverfew is a corruptionof featherfew, referring to the plant's petals.
The old fashioned feverfew is generally found in the wild state nearvery old gardens. The ancient magi ordered 'Feverfew to be pulledfrom the ground with the left hand, and the fevered patient's namemust be spoken forth, and the herbalist must not look behind him.'
Another old superstition held that when it was planted around dwellingsit purified the air and warded off disease. The pungent odor is sodisliked by bees that branches of it were carried around to hold thebees at a distance. (Wonder if this could benefit the person allergicto bee stings?)
The Greek herbalist Dioscorides is believed to have treated arthritiswith this herb. In 1649, Culpeper recommended feverfew for headachesand to strengthen women's wombs. In 1772, another famous herbalist,John Hill, treated headaches but stated 'this herb exceeds whateverelse is known.'
In 1985, it was reported that extracts of feverfew inhibited therelease of 2 inflammatory substances; serotonin from platelets andprostaglandin from white blood cells. Both are thought to contributeto the onset of migraine attacks and perhaps even to play a role inrheumatoid arthritis.
Migraine sufferers may have to wait several months to notice improvement,but the wait is well worth it. Some 80% of all cases have found feverfewa preventive in migraine headaches.
Feverfew seems absolutely bug-proof, keeping pests from plants closeby. Some people plant in their roses or around the garden for pestcontrol. The yellow-green ferny foliage, masses of small, white, daisy-likeflowers, are decorative and they self-sow readily.
Some say that feverfew is most effective against fever and coldsif it is gathered with the left hand as the name of the patient isspoken aloud and with nary a glance behind.
One of the bug killing properties of feverfew is pyrethrin. |
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