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Herbal Remedies and Medicinal Cures for Diseases, Ailments & Illnesses that afflict Humans and Animals
Aloe Vera Astragalus Bankoro Bilberry Bitter Gourd (Ampalaya) Bitter Orange Black Cohosh Cat's Claw Chamomile Chasteberry Coconut Cranberry Dandelion Echinacea Ephedra European Elder Tree Evening Primrose Fenugreek Feverfew Flaxseed Garlic Ginger Ginkgo Ginseng (Asian) Golden Seal Grape Seed Green Tea Hawthorn Hoodia Horse Chestnut Kava Lavender Licorice Malunggay Moringa Oleifera Milk Thistle Mistletoe Passion Flower Peppermint Oil Red Clover Ringworm Bush (Akapulko) – Cassia alata Saw Palmetto St. John's Wort Tawa Tawa Turmeric Valerian Yohimbe
accept the bitter to get better


Feverfew.jpg
Feverfew leaves and flowers

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Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Feverfew

The herb Feverfew as an alternative herbal remedy for fevers, headaches, stomach aches, toothaches and insect bites. - Originally a plant native to the Balkan mountains of Eastern Europe, feverfew now grows throughout Europe, North America, and South America.

Common Names--feverfew, bachelor's buttons, featherfew

Latin Names--Tanacetum parthenium, Chrysanthemum parthenium Picture of Feverfew

  • Feverfew (Tanecetum parthenium) is a well-known herb and one of the most widely respected in the prophylactic (preventative) treatment of migraine and chronic headache. There are many clinical studies to support its effectiveness insignificantly reducing or completely eliminating the occurrence and the severity of chronic headache and migraine. Scientific research has demonstrated that Feverfew contains a range of compounds called sesquiterpene lactones, the principle ingredient being parthenolide. Parthenolide has been scientifically shown to prevent excessive clumping of blood platelets and to reduce the release of certain pain inducing chemicals and inflammatory compounds. It has also been shown to make smooth muscle in the walls of cerebral blood vessels less reactive to vaso-constrictors - thereby relaxing constricted blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the brain.
 

What Feverfew Is Used For

  • Feverfew has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy for fevers, headaches, stomach aches, toothaches, insect bites, infertility, and problems with menstruation and labor during childbirth.
  • Recently, feverfew has been used for migraine headaches and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Feverfew has also been used for psoriasis, allergies, asthma, tinnitus (ringing or roaring sounds in the ears), dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

Herbal Remedy Products with Feverfew as part of the ingredients

 
  • MiGone Plus™ - Natural herbal remedy to relieve all types of headaches including migraines and ocular migraines, plus reduce anxiety and muscle tension
    • Prevents migraines and chronic headaches
    • Stops tension headaches before they start
    • Reduces muscle tension and spasms
    • Relieves the symptoms of arthritis
    • Relaxes and reduces anxiety and tension

How Feverfew Is Used

  • The dried leaves--and sometimes flowers and stems--of feverfew are used to make supplements, including capsules, tablets, and liquid extracts. *The leaves are sometimes eaten fresh.

What the Science Says about Feverfew

  • Some research suggests that feverfew may be helpful in preventing migraine headaches; however, results have been mixed and more evidence is needed from well-designed studies.
  • One study found that feverfew did not reduce rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in women whose symptoms did not respond to conventional medicines. It has been suggested that feverfew could help those with milder symptoms.
  • There is not enough evidence available to assess whether feverfew is beneficial for other uses.
  • NCCAM-funded researchers are studying ways to standardize feverfew; that is, to prepare it in a consistent manner. Standardized preparations could be used in future studies of feverfew for migraines.

Side Effects and Cautions of Feverfew

  • No serious side effects have been reported for feverfew. Side effects can include canker sores, swelling and irritation of the lips and tongue, and loss of taste.
  • Less common side effects can include nausea, digestive problems, and bloating.
  • People who take feverfew for a long time and then stop taking it may have headaches, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, stiff muscles, and joint pain.
  • Women who are pregnant should not use feverfew because it may cause the uterus to contract, increasing the risk of miscarriage or premature delivery.
  • People can have allergic reactions to feverfew. Those who are allergic to other members of the daisy family (which includes ragweed and chrysanthemums) are more likely to be allergic to feverfew.
  • Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.

News About Feverfew

6 Amazing Benefits Of Feverfew For Skin, Hair And Health

By Anamika M (Style Craze)

The ancient Greeks called Feverfew ‘Parthenium’ because according to Greek legend, this amazing herb was used to save the life of someone who had fallen from the Parthenon, a temple in Athens! With such a colorful history behind, you can be sure that feverfew has a few stories to tell.

Feverfew, commonly known as wild chamomile, is a plant that belongs to the sunflower family. It is known by several other names too like Featherfew, thanks to its feather like leaves. Since a long time, Europeans used feverfew as an herbal remedy to treat various diseases and ailments. The feverfew leaves are still used to make medicines. So what does this plant so loved by the Greeks has in store for you? Health and beauty!

Benefits of Feverfew Plant:

Feverfew Benefits for Skin: 1. Skin Redness and Swelling:

Feverfew is a natural anti-inflammatory herb. It helps in reducing skin inflammation naturally. It not only cures the redness and swelling of the skin, but also prevents their future occurrence. There are many other skin conditions like ringworm, patches and scratches that can be healed with feverfew.

2. Promotes Healthy Skin:

Feverfew tea is very high in anti-oxidants. Regular and moderate consumption of feverfew tea protects our body from harmful free-radicals that damage skin cells. Being anti-inflammatory in nature, it renews and revitalizes the skin making it healthy and young from inside.

Feverfew Benefits for Hair:

3. Stops Hair Fall:

Feverfew helps in reducing hair fall. As mentioned before, it is anti-inflammatory by nature and people using it have experienced a drastic reduction in hair fall. Use of feverfew herb directly on your scalp can be a bit risky and you may end up dealing with the side-effects. Therefore it is suggested that you opt for drinking feverfew tea in moderation to halt hair fall and keep baldness at bay.

Feverfew Benefits for Health:

4. Migraine:

Studies have proven that feverfew for migraine decreases the frequency of migraine attacks. It works more efficiently than popular anti-inflammatory pills like aspirin etc. It inhibits amines and histamines, which control inflammation and stop blood vessel spasms. These inflammations and blood vessel spasms are the root cause of headaches and migraine attacks.

5. Arthritis:

Compounds in feverfew herb are useful in relieving pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. It keeps the blood platelets from being able to exempt inflammatory materials. This also helps in alleviating fever.

6. Menstrual Cramps:

Feverfew helps to ease menstrual cramps. This is because it tends to restrict the release of a hormone named prostaglandin, which is responsible for the pain and irritation that comes with PMS.

These were some of the major benefits associated with feverfew. If you are wondering about its availability, don’t worry! The market is full of feverfew supplements, pills, capsules and tinctures which you can try. But feverfew tea is the most common and safest way to reap benefits from feverfew plant. Let us now have a look at the nutritional value of feverfew or chamomile tea:

Generally, feverfew is safe for most people but there are some side effects associated with feverfew that you should be aware of.

Side Effects of Feverfew:

1. The common side effects of feverfew may include diarrhea, bloating, upset stomach, heartburn, constipation, vomiting, flatulence and nausea.

2. There are some other reported side-effects of feverfew like tiredness, rash, weight gain, pounding heart, joint stiffness and trouble sleeping.

3. Feverfew is unsafe for pregnant and breast-feeding women.

4. Chewing fresh feverfew leaves can cause swelling of the lips, mouth and tongue. It can also lead to temporary loss of taste and mouth sores.

Don’t let this list of side effects scare you off! You can safely use feverfew but do remember not to over-consume it. Studies have suggested that 50 to 100mg of feverfew extract in a day is enough to prevent migraine headaches. For other ailments and problems, you should consult a doctor. As I said earlier, feverfew tea is one of the best ways to reap benefits from the feverfew plant. But it is very important that you follow the direction and dosage instructions given on the pack. After all, prevention is better than cure.


Compound in this Herb Beats Cancer, FDA Fast Tracks its Use for Big Pharma Meds

By Christina Sarich

An herb discussed below caused a big upset a few years back when researchers realized it could be more successful at killing cancerous cells than an expensive chemo drug. Since that discovery, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fast-tracked the plant compounds to be used in pharmaceutical meds. Want to know how to get yours from the natural source without paying Big Pharma for their patents? Read on.

Feverfew (tanacetum parthenium), also known as wild chamomile, is no small herb. Its properties are so powerful it has been shown to outperform anti-leukemia chemo drugs. The active ingredient in feverfew, which is responsible for much of its healing power, is known as Parthenolide.

Until recently, feverfew was used by herbalists primarily as a treatment for migraine headaches and nausea, but it turns out that the extent of its true healing powers were being overlooked.

One abstract concluded:

“It has multiple pharmacologic properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, cardiotonic, antispasmodic, an emmenagogue, and as an enema for worms. In this review, we have explored the various dimensions of the feverfew plant and compiled its vast pharmacologic applications to comprehend and synthesize the subject of its potential image of multipurpose medicinal agent. The plant is widely cultivated to large regions of the world and its importance as a medicinal plant is growing substantially with increasing and stronger reports in support of its multifarious therapeutic uses.”

Parthenolide has shown great promise in treating multiple cancers, though admittedly not in human testing. It works by reducing the spread (metastasis) or the recurrence of several types of cancerous cells, including breast, prostate, lung, bladder, leukemia, and myeloma.

Good News: Blushwood Berries Kill Cancer Fast – Big Pharma Tackles Patent

Another study, published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, concluded:

“The parthenolide can inhibit the cell growth, migration, and induce the apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer. These findings may provide a novel approach for pancreatic cancer treatment.”

Harikrishna Nakshatri, associate professor of surgery, biochemistry, and molecular biology, and Marian J. Morrison, an investigator in breast cancer research, has discovered that parthenolide could block the activity of a protein called NF-kB in breast cancer cells. NF-kB promotes the production of proteins that block cell death. In moderation, that’s a good thing, but when NF-kB becomes overactive, cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs.

Fortunately, the active feverfew compound, parthenolide, is not highly soluble in water, which makes it harder for pharmaceutical companies to extract the compound and patent it. They have to modify its structure slightly for it to still work to kill cancerous cells. But you could also just take the much less expensive herb, and get the compound as nature intended it. Feverfew can also be grown in your own garden, and you can take the herb to induce cancer cell apoptosis for pennies.

“When once planted it [feverfew] gives year after year an abundant supply of blossoms with only the merest degree of attention.”

I’m quite certain the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society wouldn’t want you to know that.


Flowering herbs like feverfew, chamomile worth growing for their looks alone

By MELODY PARKER

There are a couple of earworms I can’t get rid of when I’m puttering with herbs in my garden -- Simon & Garfunkel’s “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” and Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints.” Unfortunately, I can’t remember many of the lyrics to either song, so the same refrains play over and over in my head, like a stuck record. And yes, I have both on vinyl.

Kitchen herbs can be grown in pots or a bed near the kitchen door for easy harvesting and use. Herbs also can be surprisingly formal in a Victorian-style knot garden, or be used informally by salting herbs into annual or perennial borders for cottage-garden appeal and used to edge vegetable gardens.

While most herbs are attractive, we usually think of them as green plants with small, insignificant flowers. Basil, chives, sage, parsley, rosemary, lavender and thyme are among fragrant herbs we harvest for cooking or making teas, potpourris and sachets.

But there some that produce lovely flowers and are worth growing for looks alone.

• Echinacea. Coneflowers have undergone a revolution in color and form in the past 10 years, but the familiar purple coneflower has medicinal properties that ease cold and flu symptoms. These are tough, long-flowering prairie plants that can withstand drought conditions, but perform their best with regular moisture. They form deep taproots, which means propagating by root cuttings in the fall is better than division. You can find quart or gallon-sized plants or sow seeds.
• Feverfew. It merrily re-seeds itself throughout my garden, particularly along the edges of borders and beds. I yank out a fair few, but leave the rest because of the daisy-like flowers — white petals perfectly arrayed around a small yellow disc. I’ll gather stems for flower bouquets.
• Chamomile. Another daisy doppelganger, fragrant chamomile is popular in teas for calming nerves and has other uses, but I grow it for its charm and fragrance. Chamomile shows up a lot in shampoo formulations. There are two kinds, German and Roman. German is the upright type I grow, while Roman is a ground cover.
• Johnny Jump-up. These old-fashioned violas are considered medicinal herbs, also called “heart’s ease” or “heartsease.” They bloom in spring, fade in summer, and sometimes return for a flush of color in fall. You can encourage this rebloom by shearing back the plants in summer.
• St. John’s Wort. Well-known as a healing herb, St. John’s Wort has cheerful yellow blooms set against shiny green foliage. It’s easy to grow and thrives in sun and light shade. Be warned: It can be aggressive.

Herbal extracts help fight cancer

By Oliver dePeyer

Plantextracts with anti-inflammatory properties may be useful in increasing the vulnerability of cancers to chemotherapeutic drugs, new research in Oncogene 1suggests.

Chemotherapy can hold diseases such as breast cancer at bay, but patients often die when tumour cells eventually develop resistance to the drugs used. Now Harikrishna Nakshatri and his colleagues from the Indiana Cancer Research Institute have delved into the herbal medicine cabinet and found compounds that inhibit the genes responsible for this resistance.

There are many genes in our cells that can cause cancer if they become active in the wrong place or at the wrong time. These include the genes responsible for encouraging cell growth and preventing cell death -- cancer is basically a form of uncontrolled cell growth.

These different groups of genes work together to encourage normal growth in healthy tissue. Such groups can all be switched on by 'transcription factors', proteins that bind to the DNA of the genes and activate them. A damaged or mutated transcription factor can cause cancerous growth by switching on all the genes that it normally regulates in a massive and uncontrolled manner.

Nakshatri had previously identified such an errant transcription factor in some breast cancers, called 'nuclear factor-kB', or 'NF-kB' for short. High levels of NF-kB have also been found in many other cancers.

Many cancer treatments stop cells dividing and growing. But Nakshatri and his team showed that NF-kB activates several cell division genes. If NF-kB levels are high enough, then the tumour cells can overcome the effects of the drugs.

As a patient undergoes chemotherapy, only the tumour cells that have high levels of NF-kB survive -- until you end up with a tumour full of NF-kB-rich cells, all resistant to the drug.

It seems clear that removing NF-kB from the picture should restore drug sensitivity. Interestingly, several traditional herbal remedies attack NF-kB. These include aspirin (from the bark of the willow tree, Salix alba), and helenalin, an extract of the native Mexican plant Smallhead Sneezeweed (Helenium microcephalum).

But many of these compounds adversely affect other chemicals in the cell. Parthenolide is an exception. An extract from the herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), parthenolide has long been a traditional remedy for migraine, and it now emerges that it is a highly specific inhibitor of NF-kB.

Nakshatri and his colleagues grew cancer cells in the presence of parthenolide and a commonly used anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel or Taxol, which inhibits cell division. They found that without NF-kB, the cells were much more susceptible to paclitaxel. In fact, the researchers killed off the cancer cells using lower doses of paclitaxel that did not have harmful effects on normal cells.

Nakshatri conclude that other medicinal plants might also be used in tandem with chemotherapies where tumours are rich in NF-kB. They suggest that extracts of Barberry (Berberis), Coptis (Coptis chinensis) and Gravel root (Eupatorium purpureum), all of which have anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of parthenolide, may be worth investigating.

But Edzard Ernst, professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, UK, is cautious. "We have reviewed the scientific literature for feverfew, and we have found that it has not had any clinical effects in fighting cancer. To extrapolate from [this laboratory work] is a leap of faith -- we need the clinical evidence."


Feverfew genes yield anticancer compounds

By Hj (Harro) Bouwmeester

The tobacco-like plant Nicotiana benthamiana can be used to produce potential anti-cancer drugs. Researchers of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) discovered which genes in the herb feverfew are responsible for the production of bioactive ingredients that are used in various types of medication. They expressed these genes in N. benthamiana and successfully produced the medicinal substance.

Water-soluble, bioactive compounds

"Apart from the bioactive compound parthenolide, which we were aiming to produce, we found that N. benthamiana also produces slightly modified compounds. These are more water-soluble and can therefore be absorbed better by patients. That is very promising for application in medicine", says Qing Liu, who is going to defend the findings of his PhD research on Monday, 2 December 2013.

Advantages of genetic modification of tobacco

Taking the genes out of feverfew and expressing them in a tobacco plant has various advantages. "Feverfew is not easy to cultivate. To ensure a continuous production of medicinal compounds with a stable quality, it is important to work with plants that can be kept in a controlled environment", explains Ric de Vos of Wageningen UR Plant Research International. Professor Harro Bouwmeester of Wageningen University adds: "The concentrations of parthenolide in Feverfew are pretty low. N. benthamiana, which grows fast, has the potential to produce much larger amounts of it. Plus it makes better water-soluble variants of parthenolide."

Higher concentrations

PhD candidate Liu: "To increase the parthenolide production we will probably have to use a few more genes. Parthenolide is produced in four steps. The first step produces something that is used by the second step, and so on. We probably need to do something before step one to increase the output of the pathway." Bouwmeester: "Producing high concentrations of parthenolide would be fatal to the plant. That is why it converts it into the better water-soluble variants. At first that seemed to be a problem as we lost parthenolide. Now it turns out that the water-soluble variants also have advantages."

Competition to be the first to find the genes

Liu's main objective during his PhD research, part of the EU-project TERPMED, was to find the genes in feverfew that are involved in producing the medicinal parthenolide. "The first gene we already had in hand when I started my research but an article about the second gene by a competing group was published while I was studying which parts of the feverfew contain the highest concentrations of parthenolide", he says. "Studying the physiology of the plant was necessary to know where to look for the genes", he explains.

Publication of the first two genes helped to identify the other genes involved, but it also meant there was competition with other researchers around the world. Liu: "I found the third gene, but on the day I wanted to submit my article, a Canadian group published the same finding." Liu's discovery of the fourth gene is so recent, that it hasn't been published yet. Nervously: "We have submitted a paper to a high-impact scientific journal and are hoping it will be accepted. I hope we beat the competing group this time."


Feverfew: Pain Reduction and Cancer Prevention

By Byron J. Richards (Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist)

Feverfew has a long traditional use as a natural anti-inflammatory nutrient, commonly used to help reduce the pain of arthritis or migraine headaches. One of its primary active components is parthenolide. New gene array science is showing that parthenolide1 helps regulate many genes in a healthy direction, including those involved with inflammation. Not only does it reduce the core inflammatory gene signal known as NF-kappaB, it is now shown to influence many genes relating to cancer – helping to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone.

Cancer cells hijack healthy function of normal cells and use a cell’s natural defense system to protect themselves. Cancer cells use the cell’s antioxidant defense system to protect themselves. Parthenolide has been shown to directly undermine the antioxidant defense system of cancer cells, lowering the core cellular antioxidant known as glutathione, thus causing an increase in free radical damage within the cancer cell and killing it.

Feverfew is yet another example of a nutrient that behaves in harmony with human physiology. Feverfew actually helps regulate cellular inflammation in healthy cells, thereby helping to lower the amount of free radical production within inflamed cells. Thus, our bodies use feverfew in a way that helps healthy cells survive while simultaneously killing cancer cells. Many nutrients share this sort of anti-cancer intelligence, quercetin and green tea are two examples that come to mind. The more we learn about how nutrition works at the gene level the more we stand in awe of the potential ability of the human body to heal if given the chance.


Feverfew genes yield anticancer compounds

By Hj (Harro) Bouwmeester

The tobacco-like plant Nicotiana benthamiana can be used to produce potential anti-cancer drugs. Researchers of Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) discovered which genes in the herb feverfew are responsible for the production of bioactive ingredients that are used in various types of medication. They expressed these genes in N. benthamiana and successfully produced the medicinal substance.

Water-soluble, bioactive compounds

"Apart from the bioactive compound parthenolide, which we were aiming to produce, we found that N. benthamiana also produces slightly modified compounds. These are more water-soluble and can therefore be absorbed better by patients. That is very promising for application in medicine", says Qing Liu, who is going to defend the findings of his PhD research on Monday, 2 December 2013.

Advantages of genetic modification of tobacco

Taking the genes out of feverfew and expressing them in a tobacco plant has various advantages. "Feverfew is not easy to cultivate. To ensure a continuous production of medicinal compounds with a stable quality, it is important to work with plants that can be kept in a controlled environment", explains Ric de Vos of Wageningen UR Plant Research International. Professor Harro Bouwmeester of Wageningen University adds: "The concentrations of parthenolide in Feverfew are pretty low. N. benthamiana, which grows fast, has the potential to produce much larger amounts of it. Plus it makes better water-soluble variants of parthenolide."

Higher concentrations

PhD candidate Liu: "To increase the parthenolide production we will probably have to use a few more genes. Parthenolide is produced in four steps. The first step produces something that is used by the second step, and so on. We probably need to do something before step one to increase the output of the pathway." Bouwmeester: "Producing high concentrations of parthenolide would be fatal to the plant. That is why it converts it into the better water-soluble variants. At first that seemed to be a problem as we lost parthenolide. Now it turns out that the water-soluble variants also have advantages."

Competition to be the first to find the genes

Liu's main objective during his PhD research, part of the EU-project TERPMED, was to find the genes in feverfew that are involved in producing the medicinal parthenolide. "The first gene we already had in hand when I started my research but an article about the second gene by a competing group was published while I was studying which parts of the feverfew contain the highest concentrations of parthenolide", he says. "Studying the physiology of the plant was necessary to know where to look for the genes", he explains.

Publication of the first two genes helped to identify the other genes involved, but it also meant there was competition with other researchers around the world. Liu: "I found the third gene, but on the day I wanted to submit my article, a Canadian group published the same finding." Liu's discovery of the fourth gene is so recent, that it hasn't been published yet. Nervously: "We have submitted a paper to a high-impact scientific journal and are hoping it will be accepted. I hope we beat the competing group this time."


Natural health: Migraine treatments and oil pulling

By Megan Sheppard

My wife suffers migraines, particularly when she is under stress or coming down with an illness. She finds that it helps to lie in a darkened room with no sounds, smells, or any other sensations. Is there anything that she can take to stop these, as they really take it out of her?

It is good that you both have a reasonable idea of what actually triggers the migraines for your wife, as this can be difficult to ascertain. Common triggers include bright light, allergies and intolerances, strong odours, stress, cigarette smoke, loud noise, sleep disturbance, skipping meals, contraceptive pill, Monosodium glutamate (MSG) or nitrites in food, alcohol, caffeine, or even the hormonal changes associated with menstruation.

The most common trigger is perfume or other strong fragrances, causing migraines in almost a third of all sufferers.

There are also a number of well-known dietary triggers — particularly chocolate, nuts, bananas, citrus, dairy, onions, and fermented foods. Of course, they can also appear without any particular reason — but if you are able to take preventative measures then it should help to reduce the incidence and severity of the attacks.

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is the most popular herb for migraine prevention. Your wife will need to take 100mg daily for this remedy to work.

This dosage has been shown in studies to provide the necessary 0.7% of the active constituent, parthenolide. It can take a month before this begins to work, but it is worth sticking with if this is going to be a remedy that your wife responds well to.

To treat an existing migraine, both skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) are handy herbs to have on hand.

For a skullcap infusion, you will need one heaped teaspoon of dried herb to one cup of near-boiling water; a rosemary infusion requires a level teaspoon of the dried herb to each cup of water.

The other natural remedy which has been shown to work well in clinical studies is the addition of essential fatty acids to the diet.

Taking an essential fatty acid supplement on a daily basis can reduce the frequency of migraines by half in almost two-thirds of migraine sufferers, along with a significant reduction in the pain and severity of the attack.

Can you please elaborate on the process of oil-pulling? Specifically, what type of oil to use, how much, and how often.

Oil pulling is a traditional Ayurvedic technique used to help with oral hygiene and detoxification. Ideally, it is a daily routine done first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach — even before you have had as much as a glass of water or any other beverage As far as the type of oil goes, you can use olive oil or raw sesame oil, but I personally prefer to use coconut oil. If you do purchase coconut oil, it is best to choose the virgin, unrefined, unbleached, organic variety.

Use around a tablespoon of oil, swishing it gently around your entire mouth, taking care not to swish too vigorously or swallow any of the oil. Ensure that the oil is pulled between your teeth, under your tongue, and inside your cheeks, swishing for 10-15 minutes before spitting it out.

The oil becomes thin and foamy as it is combined with your saliva, and takes on a whitish colour. It is best to spit the oil into the garden, or down the toilet, since repeated oil being washed down the kitchen or bathroom sink can clog the pipes. Follow your oil pulling with gentle brushing, using a natural toothpaste.

While it may seem strange, many people have reported numerous benefits from following this daily practice, including weight loss, whiter teeth, migraine prevention, healthy gums, reduced asthma attacks and other allergic responses, clearer skin, hormonal regulation, clear sinuses, improved energy, and better sleep.

Of course, these reports are purely anecdotal — so it is worth making your own mind up as to whether or not it is a worthwhile method of detoxification and healing for the body.

Feverfew plants, flowers and leaves