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Feverfew
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 •
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Hoodia •
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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 leaves and flowers | |||
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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
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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
Treatment and self-care for Migraine
- Source:http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Feverfew-s-readily-available-easily-grown-3276180.php
- By Pam Peirce
Plus, some ideas for replacing lawn to conserve water
Q:I'd like to try making insect repellent with feverfew, but am having a hard time finding any. I noticed you wrote that you have some in your garden, so I thought you might know where I might find some.
- A: Feverfew is Tanacetum parthenium, formerly called Chrysanthemum parthenium. It has been tried for several medical complaints over the centuries, and its extract has been applied to the skin as an insect repellent, though I can't vouch for its effectiveness.
- This perennial plant, often grown ornamentally, is a foot or 2 tall, with feathery leaves and white, daisylike flower heads. Some varieties have chartreuse leaves, and these are often grown as foliage plants, with the flower heads picked off for maximum impact. Calls to a few local nurseries revealed that although they might not have feverfew in stock at the moment, they can easily order some if you ask for it. Because feverfew grows so quickly, a plant in a 4-inch pot is a better buy than one in a gallon pot. Feverfew is also easy to grow from seed. You can get seed from Renee's Garden (reneesgarden.com) and Botanical Interests (botanicalinterests.com), both of which sell online and in Bay Area nurseries. Feverfew that flowers often produces seedlings near the parent plant the following spring. I use these to replace old plants, which often look less attractive after the first year.
Q:For several years I've been threatening to get rid of our front and back lawns. My prime concern is water, but energy is also a factor (mowing), along with the dandelions and gophers that insist on calling these areas home.
I'm wondering if there's an easy, perhaps step-by-step way to make the conversion from sod to shrubs, grasses, rocks, whatever. I've considered covering the entire area with plastic, covering that with wood chips, and letting it sit there through the summer, hoping that this would kill both sod and weeds so that, in the fall, we could landscape with drought-resistant plants. Would this work?
Both areas have sprinklers. With less thirsty plants, I figure we could turn them on just a few times through the summer. (We live in Lucas Valley, where the wind blows ferociously and dries out everything.)
- A: Your goal of replacing a lawn with more drought-tolerant plants is a good one. There isn't one answer to getting rid of the lawn, but here are some ideas:
- Some do the job by hand, using a flat-edged spade to cut small sections and then digging them. OK for small areas, backbreaking for large ones.
- Your idea of covering the lawn is good, but plastic forms an unwanted barrier to water and soil life. I suggest instead brown cardboard or at least six layers of newspaper (a bonus for newspaper subscribers). Mow the lawn short, then apply overlapping layers of either material, wetting them as you go. Cover with wood chips. In a few months, your lawn should be dead, but don't underestimate the ability of some grasses to creep under mulch and find a way to the light.
- Solarizing soil can kill a lawn along with weed seeds. It is done by watering the ground, then covering it with one or two layers of clear plastic for four to six weeks. However, in areas with typical summer temperatures of less than 80 degrees and strong summer winds, the sun won't be able to heat the soil enough for this method to work.
- Another option is to rent a tool known as a sod cutter that lifts strips of sod so you can roll them up and carry them away. It operates like a huge power mower. If you use this, be sure to mark your sprinkler heads with little flags (from an irrigation supplier) so you won't damage them.
- Sod cutting is fast, but you do end up with the removed sod. You can stack it grass-side down, moistening layers, and let it rot to compost. You can pile it where it will create berms, which can add interest to your garden and reduce runoff. If you put sod in municipal yard waste pickup tubs, you may need to remove attached soil first, and that is quite a job. However, you may be able to take it to the dump with soil attached.
- If you have dandelions, the cut taproots left in the ground after you remove the sod may regrow. Wait a few weeks and then dig the stragglers out by hand.
- Landscape advisers often suggest using a glyphosate herbicide, such as Roundup, either alone or before the mulch or the sod cutting methods. I'm assuming you'd rather not use an herbicide, and I think you can avoid it unless you have Bermuda grass, which is one of the most invasive and persistent weeds on earth. (Bermuda grass is a fine-leaved grass that has tough, wiry runners both above and belowground.)
Treatment and self-care for Migraine
- Dr Anitha Anchan
Some tips to fight and keep Migraine away.
How can I get relief from Migraine? What is the treatment for Migraine?
Resting in a darkened room without any noise often reduces the severity of symptoms. Put a cold compress over your forehead. Massage your scalp using a lot of pressure. Put pressure on your temples.
Migraines can be treated with two approaches: Abortive and Preventive.
1. Abortive: The goal of this therapy is to stop it once it starts. Abortive drugs include the triptans, which specifically target serotonin. Nonprescription medicines that can help relieve migraine pain include aspirin, acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine combination, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen. People with more severe pain may need prescription medicine. Ergotamine can be effective alone or combined with other medicines. Dihydroergotamine can also be helpful.
2. Preventive: This type of treatment is considered if migraines occur frequently, typically more than one migraine per week, or if migraine symptoms are severe. The goal is to lessen the frequency and severity of the migraine attacks. Preventive treatment medications include the following:
- • Medications used to treat high blood pressure: beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers
- • Antidepressants : amitriptyline, nortriptyline
- • Antiseizure medications: gabapentin, topiramate, valproic acid
In addition to migraine treatment the following drugs are mainly used for nausea related to migraine headaches:
- • Metoclopramide
- • Prochlorperazine
- • Promethazine
Feverfew is a popular herb for migraines. Several studies, but not all, support using feverfew for treating migraines. Long term homeopathic treatment can eradicate migraine headaches. Some of the homeopathic remedies which may be used under an expert homeopathy doctor are Glonoine, Belladonna, Sangunaria canadensis, Iris versicolor, Gelsemium, Nux vomica and so on. Some of the ayurvedic medicines are Suvarna Sutashekhara, Godanti Bhasma, Shadbindu Taila and Anu Taila.
- What preventive measures can I take for migraine?
1.Avoid all factors that have triggered a migraine attack in the past
- • If you are a woman who has migraines just prior to her menstrual period, you should reduce salt in your diet. This helps to decrease water retention associated with precipitating attacks.
- • Avoid alcoholic beverages because it causes the blood vessels in the body to widen, which contributes to the migraine pain.
- • If stress is the trigger for your migraine, then relax and reduce the stress in your life. Regular exercise (walking, swimming, etc.) and relaxation techniques like yoga & meditation may help you.
- • Look for foods that might trigger an attack, such as cheese, processed meats, chocolate, caffeine, MSG (a preservative in many foods), yeast, nuts, pickles, peanut butter, avocados, etc. Avoid eating these foods if one of them triggers headaches.
2. Adopt a healthy lifestyle
- • Eat regularly and do not skip meals
- • Keep a regular sleep schedule
- • Exercise regularly
- • Quit smoking
To sum it up, Migraine is a chronic condition that one can live with, if proper preventive care is taken.
8 effective home remedies for migraines
- By Jenn Savedge
Tame the frequency and severity of migraines with these simple and proven strategies.
If you are one of the 47 million Americans who are plagued by migraines, this post is for you.
As any sufferer will tell you, there is nothing quite like the nausea-inducing, throbbing pain of a migraine. The bad news is that for many folks, migraines are a frequent occurrence. But the good news it that there are a number of ways that you can tackle migraines at home, lessening their occurrence and easing their severity. Try one or try them all, and find out what works for you.
1. Eat light. Research shows that a low-fat diet may help to tame migraines. In one study, participants who followed an extremely low-fat diet (10-15 percent fat) for 12 weeks reported having at least 40 percent fewer headaches. When they did experience pain, it was 66 percent less intense. It's also a good idea to avoid nitrates, nitrites, MSG (monosodium glutamate) and other preservatives and flavor enhancers as these chemical additives have been known to cause headaches.
2. Hydrate. Dehydration can play a big role in causing headaches. Make sure you stay well hydrated throughout the day.
3. Caffeinate. Caffeine is a double agent when it comes to headaches. The chemical can restrict blood vessels, lessening the pain of a migraine, but caffeine withdrawal is a sure-fire trigger for headaches. Limit caffeine to one or two servings per day and avoid caffeine late in the day so as not to disturb your sleep.
4. Supplement. Several vitamins — such as vitamin B, feverfew, melatonin and butterbur — have been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. Talk to your health care provider before you add any herbal supplements to your daily diet.
5. Massage. In a small study, people with migraines who had six weekly massage sessions reported fewer and less painful migraines in the weeks they had massages as well as for three weeks following. Ask your partner for a quick rub of your shoulders, neck, and temples once a week to help ease frequent headaches.
6. Stretch. If your migraines are caused by muscle tension, then some daily stretches might help. Try some neck rolls (bring chin forward, upward, and toward each shoulder) and shoulder shrugs (shrug up and down, up and forward, and up and back) to loosen muscles that may be causing your pain.
7. Exercise. According to the National Pain Foundation, regular aerobic exercise such as running, walking, biking or swimming can reduce migraine intensity and frequency.
8. Meditate. There is no scientific data to back this one up, but many practitioners swear by using meditation to calm the mind and focus thoughts away from the areas of pain.
The 5 Best Herbs to Soothe Your Nerves
- By Michelle Schoffro Cook
Forget frazzled nerves, anxiety, restlessness, nerve-related headaches and pain. Herbs really shine when it comes to soothing nerves. Here are five of my picks for the best nerve-soothing herbs:
- Feverfew for Migraines and Headaches
This delicate flowering plant contains potent medicine, particularly when it comes to soothing the nervous system. Perhaps that is why it has been in use for over two thousand years, when Greek physician Dioscorides recommended feverfew for inflammation. Since then we’ve learned a lot about feverfew’s many other healing properties and its effects on the nervous system.
Feverfew is an excellent headache and migraine remedy. If you’ve taken it when you’ve had a migraine and found that it didn’t work for you rest assured that it will work when used correctly. Feverfew doesn’t work in the same way as headache and migraine drugs—at the first sign of pain. Rather, the best way to take feverfew is daily over the course of a month to prevent headaches and migraines the following month. Research published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews concluded that feverfew can reduce the prevalence of migraines.
- Feverfew for Neuropathy
If you’re suffering from neuropathy pain, which is a general term to describe disorders of the nervous system that cause pain, weakness and numbness, you’ll be happy to learn that feverfew has been found effective for this set of conditions. In a study published in the journal Phytomedicine, researchers found that feverfew was as effective as the drug gapapentin (an anti-epileptic drug used in the treatment of neuropathic pain). Steep one teaspoon of the dried herb (leaves, flowers, and stems) in one cup of boiled water for 10 minutes. Drink three cups daily.
- Nettles to Block Pain Signals
Nettles, or stinging nettles, as the plant is also called due to its fine hairs that impart a stinging sensation, have been found to interfere with pain signals transmitted through the nervous system, thereby reducing seemingly unrelated types of pain. In a study of nettles on osteoarthritis pain, researchers found that nettles reduced pain linked to the disease. Study participants also found that they needed fewer anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs while taking nettles. Of course, you should consult your physician prior to reducing prescriptions. Dried nettles can be made into tea or added to soups and stews.
- Sage to Ease Stress and Balance Moods
While sage is increasingly known for its brain health and memory-boosting effects, this potent herb also plays a critical role in balancing moods. It appears to work by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down the essential brain hormone known as acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is needed for mood regulation as well as many other brain and bodily functions. Drinking a few cups of sage tea on a daily basis may be just what you need to soothe your nerves and ease stress. Avoid using sage if you suffer from migraines.
- St. John’s Wort to Alleviate Anxiety
While there are many excellent studies proving the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort against depression, few people realize that this lovely flowering herb can be used as a natural antianxiety medicine. Research published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that the herb was effective in the treatment of anxiety. Use one teaspoon of dried flowers from this plant steeped in one cup of boiled water and drink three times daily to take advantage of St. John’s Wort’s antianxiety effects. Alternatively, take a tincture and follow package directions.
- Valerian for Restlessness, Hyperactivity and Anxiety
Valerian root has long been used for its antianxiety effects. Newer research shows that its potent antianxiety effects may be attributed at least in part to the compound valerenic acid. Other research shows that this powerful natural medicine taken in combination with lemon balm was helpful to reduce restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness in elementary school children after seven weeks of treatment with the herbs. Valerian is best taken in tincture format. Follow package instructions. For children use an alcohol-free extract known as a glycerite.
Consult your physician prior to using these herbs if you are suffering from any serious health condition or taking any pharmaceutical drugs.
4 Natural Remedies For Whatever Ails You
- By Leslie Goldman
When mini emergencies arise, like a minor burn from a hot stove or a pounding headache, antibiotic creams and ibuprofen are often the first line of defense. While these old standbys can help, research shows that more-natural cure-alls may be the ultimate win-win, producing faster relief and fewer side effects. For at-home triage, consider these healthy swaps.
- What Ails You: Sore Muscles
- Old-School Fix: Smelly pain-relieving creams containing methyl salicylate. If you’re taking a prescription blood thinner, the interaction could lead to dangerous side effects.
- New-School Remedy: Tart Cherry Juice
Sipping two 10-ounce glasses of this highly anti-inflammatory drink may be enough to ease the damage you did in yesterday’s spin class. A 2010 study showed that when runners downed a glass of cherry juice twice daily for a week before a race, they reported 67 percent less post-exercise pain than those who didn’t drink it.
- What Ails You: Second-Degree Burn
- Old-School Fix: Antibiotic gels. Two active ingredients, neomycin and bacitracin, can cause an itchy-rash allergic reaction.
- New-School Remedy: Honey
First- and second-degree burns treated with honey can heal almost twice as fast as those treated with a traditional burn cream, according to a study in the Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery. Honey’s antibacterial properties can help burns become sterile more quickly, lessening the chance of infection. Gently clean the burn with cool water. Then apply a thick layer of honey to a nonadherent pad, place it over the injured area, cover with another pad, and tape. (If you see no improvement in a few days, consult your doctor.)
- What Ails You: Migraine
- Old-School Fix: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory meds like ibuprofen. They can upset your stomach and damage your kidneys.
- New-School Remedy: Feverfew and Ginger
A small 2011 study found that an elixir made from feverfew (a short bush with daisylike flowers) and ginger eliminated or significantly lessened migraine pain within two hours in 63 percent of sufferers. (In a separate analysis of people who took ibuprofen, only about half experienced relief in the same time frame.) Feverfew may block multiple migraine triggers in the brain, and ginger may help alleviate the inflammation that contributes to the skull-busting pain. Even though the average headache is nowhere near as disabling as a migraine, study coauthor Roger Cady, MD, director of the Headache Care Center in Springfield, Missouri, says the herbal combination should likely help milder tension-type discomfort, too.
- What Ails You: Common Cold
- Old-School Fix: Over-the-counter decongestants and cough medicines. While they can relieve symptoms, they won’t speed recovery.
- New-School Remedy: Elderberry Extract
When adults were given elderberry syrup or a placebo within the first 48 hours of feeling flu symptoms, those who took the elderberry (one tablespoon of the antiviral syrup four times a day for five days) felt better on average four days sooner. The purplish extract has been shown to be effective against ten strains of influenza virus, likely by increasing the production of chemical messengers that stimulate the immune system. Bonus: It tastes a little like blueberry candy.
A Better Route to Migraine Relief
- By Dr. Andrew Weil
Migraines are severe, disabling headaches that affect up to 17 percent of women and six percent of men. The disorder has many variants, often making diagnosis difficult. Migraines can be excruciating for patients, incapacitating them for hours or days at a time. They are also frustrating for doctors, who often find that the condition resists their best efforts at treatment.
Fortunately, conventional management of migraines has improved dramatically over the past 10 years. An integrative approach - combining the best of these conventional techniques with evidence-based natural approaches — can make a tremendous difference in reducing frequency and severity of attacks.
- What are the symptoms of migraine headaches?
The classic, “textbook” migraine is a one-sided severe, throbbing headache, which can be preceded by some sort of “aura” (visual disturbances), and accompanied by nausea and vomiting, along with sensitivity to light and sound. Headache pain worsens with physical activity and usually interferes with normal functioning. Frequency can vary from several times a month to once a year; intensity varies as well. If left untreated, a migraine can last from a couple of hours to several days.
Not all migraine symptoms are the same, and most individuals do not experience auras. Those who do report a variety of visual sensations such as seeing spots or flashes of light, bright zigzagging lines across the field of vision, or blind spots. Other sensations can include numbness and tingling in the extremities, and, rarely, weakness or speech problems mimicking a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Before a migraine occurs, a person can experience premonitions or “prodromes” that may include feelings of elation or intense energy, carbohydrate cravings, excessive hunger or thirst, and sleepiness, irritability or depression. These can occur several hours or even a day or two before headaches occur.
- What are the causes of migraine headaches?
The exact mechanism of action of migraine headaches isn’t fully understood. There are no true nerves for pain in the area where it is experienced. Pain and discomfort of this nature ultimately comes from blood vessels in the head that rapidly dilate and may become inflamed. Exactly how this happens is far from clear, but there are several plausible theories.
Some researchers believe migraines arise from functional changes in the trigeminal nerve, one of the main facial nerves that also houses a major pain pathway. Others think it comes from imbalances in the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays a regulatory role for pain messages going through the trigeminal nerve.
The vascular instability that is the immediate cause of migraines is influenced by many factors. Food sensitivity often plays a role, since in many sufferers specific foods trigger attacks. Hormonal fluctuations are a factor, at least in women. While pregnancy tends to prevent migraines, birth control pills can elicit them. Stress is clearly involved as well, as is heredity. It may be impossible to disentangle all the elements that lead to migraine in an individual case.
Typical food triggers include aged cheeses and processed meats (particularly pepperoni and hot dogs); peanuts; bread and crackers containing cheese as well as any strong-flavored cheeses; broad beans, peas, and lentils; and beverages containing caffeine and chocolate. Wine is another culprit (red is usually more problematic than white). Fermented foods including soy sauce and miso have been implicated, as have some fish including sardines, anchovies, and pickled herring. Other foods that have been linked to migraines include avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, figs, raisins, red plums, and raspberries.
Food additives that may play a role include nitrates and nitrites (in processed meats), yellow food coloring, and monosodium glutamate (MSG) used in some canned or processed foods, as well as in Chinese foods and in soy sauce.
In addition, watch out for non-food triggers such as fatigue, lack of sleep (or sleeping too much), missing meals, changes in barometric pressure, and changes in altitude. Strong smells, such as those of paint, gasoline or heavy perfumes, and bright flashing lights can also trigger migraine symptoms.
- What is the conventional treatment of migraines?
A variety of drugs are available that have been specifically designed to treat migraines. There are also several pharmaceuticals commonly used to treat other conditions that also help relieve or prevent migraines in responsive individuals.
Medications used to address migraines fall into two general categories: those that relieve pain, taken during migraine attacks to stop symptoms that have already started; and those that are taken regularly to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen are still first-line treatments for migraine attacks. Some over-the-counter drugs marketed specifically for migraines contain these compounds in combination with acetaminophen and caffeine. They can be effective for mild or intermittent headaches, but if taken frequently or for long periods of time, can lead to ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding and “rebound headaches” - a headache that is just as strong, or worse, when the medicine is withdrawn.
A newer class of prescription drugs called triptans is now widely used and is especially effective when taken at the beginning of an attack. They come in oral, intranasal and injectable preparations, and although they are the drug of choice for severe migraines, they do have side effects that should not be discounted, especially in patients with heart disease or hypertension. Triptans act on serotonin levels and cause blood vessels to constrict, which counters the blood vessel dilation leading to migraine. Side effects include nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness and, rarely, if vessels narrow too much, stroke and heart attack can occur in susceptible individuals. It is important to be under close medical supervision when using drugs in this class.
Ergotamine preparations have been used for over 60 years and were commonly employed before triptans became available. They are less expensive with fewer side effects, but are also not as effective as the triptan medications.
Anti-nausea drugs are also commonly used in combination with treatments for other symptoms, and medications that combine the sedative butalbital with aspirin or acetaminophen have been used in the past to treat migraine attacks. Some combinations also include caffeine. These medications, however, have a high risk of rebound headaches and withdrawal symptoms and should be used infrequently.
In addition, medications containing narcotics such as codeine and hydrocodone are often used to treat migraine pain during acute situations (often in urgent care settings) or when people can’t tolerate triptans or ergotamines. These drugs are habit-forming, can cause rebound - and should be used only as a last resort.
Preventive medications that help regulate blood vessel tone and activity, like beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and other anti-hypertensives, can often reduce the frequency, severity and length of migraines and may increase the effectiveness of symptom-relieving medicines used during migraine attacks. Certain antidepressant medications can help prevent migraines as well, as can some anti-seizure drugs, namely Depakote, Neurontin and Topamax. Side effects may include dizziness, drowsiness, lightheadedness, stomach upset, and weight gain or even weight loss (in the case of Topamax). Your doctor may recommend taking preventive medications daily if migraines aren’t being adequately treated or if a predictable, but unavoidable, trigger is approaching.
What therapies do I recommend for migraines? Eliminate coffee (including decaffeinated coffee) as well as all other sources of caffeine from your daily routine. Make sure you are not taking any OTC or prescription drugs that contain it. Once you are completely off caffeine, you can try using coffee or other forms of caffeine as an effective and immediate treatment for migraine. Drink one or two cups of strong coffee at the first sign of an attack, then lie down in a dark, quiet room.
Eliminate dietary triggers of migraine and also avoid all artificial sweeteners, including aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal).
Experiment with the herb butterbur as a preventative. This plant (Petasites hybridus), native to Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia has been clinically studied. Results of a small study published in the May, 2000, issue of the journal Headache showed that an extract of butterbur root significantly reduced the frequency of migraine attacks among the 58 patients participating. If you decide to try it, avoid the crude herb, which contains toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Instead, choose PA-free butterbur extracts standardized to contain a minimum of 7.5 mg of petasin and isopetasin. The adult dosage ranges from 50-100 mg twice daily with meals. Side effects are rare.
You can also try feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), 100-150 mg daily of a product standardized to contain at least 0.2 percent parthenolides. This herb helps prevent the release of substances that dilate blood vessels in the head. You can stay on it indefinitely.
Another option is coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). A study published in the February 22, 2005, issue of Neurology found that CoQ10 was superior to a placebo in preventing migraines. Researchers tested CoQ10 among a group of 43 patients, about half of whom received a placebo. Of the patients who took CoQ10, 50 percent reported significantly reduced frequency of headaches compared to only 14 percent of those who took the placebo. Dosage of CoQ10 in the trial was 100 mg three times daily.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) can also be helpful, as can magnesium. The recommended dose of riboflavin is 400 mg daily - a high dose, which needs to be prescribed by a physician.
You should first try these therapies individually, and allow enough time - usually six to eight weeks - to experience a change and then judge results before trying the next.
You can also experiment with the mind-body connection by taking a course of biofeedback. With practice, biofeedback can allow you to influence the part of the nervous system that regulates the dilation of blood vessels that contribute to migraine symptoms. Once you master this technique, it can be a tool you can use to abort a headache at the start of an attack.
Finally, if you continue to have attacks, try to change the way you think about the headaches. Migraine is like an electrical storm in your head - violent and disruptive, but leading to a calm, clear state in the end. You may, upon reflection, discover that it is not so bad to let yourself have a headache once in a while. It is a good excuse to drop your usual routine and go inward, letting accumulated stress dissipate. As you come to accept migraines in this way and see them as serving a purpose in your life, you may not have them so frequently.
Prostate cancer: Daisies may hold the key to treating disease, Flinders Medical Centre researchers hope
- By BRAD CROUCH (HEALTH REPORTER, The Advertiser)
FLOWER power may hold the key to treating cancer.
Flinders Medical Centre researchers using daisies to deal with prostate cancer hope to move from mice to men after trials on rodents using a chemical found in daisies showed promising results.
In a happy turn of fate the flower’s power holds a double whammy — researchers believe the chemical parthenolide can attack the tumour while also protecting nearby healthy cells from the effects of radiotherapy.
Feverfew is a medicinal herb from the daisy family with anti-inflammatory qualities that has been used for centuries to treat everything from migraine headaches to rheumatoid arthritis, stomach aches, toothaches, insect bites and infertility.
Researchers at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer say results treating mice with cancer are so promising they hope to move to clinical trials.
First, though, they plan to use human tissue from men who have undergone prostate cancer surgery to test the properties of the chemical on the remnant of tumours and surrounding healthy tissue.
Professor Pam Sykes is working on the research with PhD student Katherine Morel and an international research team including Professor Chris Sweeney from the Dana Faber Cancer Institute in the United States.
“We are getting promising preliminary data and are now seeking funding to pursue it further,” Prof Sykes said.
“We hope we can use it with radiotherapy to kill more tumour cells while also protecting nearby healthy cells in the bladder and colon — a two-in-one effect would be lovely.
“Once we can show it does have a good protective effect we can potentially go to clinical trials.
“It is non-toxic outside tumour cells compared to other drugs, and while we are looking at prostate cancer it would be relevant to any other type of cancer being treated with radiotherapy including brain cancer.”
Radiotherapy is often used to treat prostate cancer and while it is effective in killing cancer cells, it can damage normal tissue surrounding the tumour which can lead to long term side effects including incontinence, impotence and infertility.
Ms Morel said the chemical may help avoid such side effects.
“We know that radiotherapy could kill more cancer cells if higher radiation doses were given, but the expected damage to the normal cells limits the amount of radiation that can be given to that organ affected by cancer,” Ms Morel said.
“The aim of this research is to test whether the chemical compound found in feverfew, parthenolide, can specifically protect normal cells during radiotherapy while increasing the ability of the radiation to kill cancer cells.
“Making the cancer cells more sensitive to the radiation would also increase cure rates; and reducing the radiation damage to the normal cells would reduce the risk of a subsequent cancer caused by the radiation therapy.”
Natural Supplements for Migraine Prevention: Butterbur and Feverfew
- By James P. Meschino, DC, MS
Migraine headaches afflict one in 19 adults, of which 75 percent are women. Migraines also occur in an estimated 3 percent to 7 percent of children. Overall, one in four households has a resident who is a migraine sufferer. Migraines are most often described as one-sided, severe, pulsating headache pain that lasts from four to 72 hours. Other symptoms that often occur during a migraine attack include nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and noise.
Unfortunately, many drugs used to prevent and treat migraines can produce significant side effects, addiction and dependency. As a result, many migraine sufferers seek help from more natural, nontoxic solutions, such as chiropractic care, acupuncture, dietary modifications and nutritional supplements. In recent years, human clinical trials have shown that supplementation with specific dosages of the herbs butterbur and feverfew can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks by at least 50 percent in migraine sufferers.
- Butterbur
Butterbur is an herb that contains active constituents (petasin and isopetasin) that block key steps in the production of migraine headaches. These active constituents inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory chemicals such as leukotrienes and prostaglandin E2, which can trigger migraines. Petasin and isopetasin have an antispasmodic effect on vascular walls and appear to have an affinity for cerebral blood vessels. Butterbur extract also appears to act as a natural beta blocker, stabilizing normal flow of blood to the brain. This action helps control blood pressure and prevents spasm of blood vessels, which are also key processes in preventing the onset and progression of migraines.
In a double-blind study published in Neurology, researchers gave 202 migraine sufferers butterbur extract or a placebo for a three-month period.1 After 12 weeks, the butterbur-supplemented group reported approximately 50 percent fewer migraines than usual. In a 12-week, double-blind study published in Headache, 58 migraine sufferers were given butterbur extract or a placebo twice daily. The butterbur group had 50 percent fewer migraines than usual, while the placebo group's migraines declined by only 10 percent.
- Feverfew
Feverfew, a member of the sunflower family, has been used for centuries in European folk medicine as a remedy for headaches and other conditions. The migraine-relieving activity of feverfew is believed to be due to parthenolide, an active compound that helps relieve smooth muscle spasms. In particular, it helps prevent the constriction of blood vessels in the brain (one of the leading causes of migraine headaches). Like butterbur, parthenolide also inhibits the production of prostaglandin hormones that cause inflammation of blood vessels. Feverfew inhibits excessive aggregating of platelets, which also normalizes blood flow - an effect credited for reducing migraine frequency and severity.
Recent clinical studies published in Clinical Drug Investigations and Headache showed that supplements containing a standardized extract of feverfew reduced migraine attacks by 50 percent in chronic migraine sufferers.4-5 To be most effective, feverfew should be standardized to contain the maximum amount of parthenolide, which has been shown to account for the herb's anti-inflammatory and other medicinal properties. As such, I recommend supplementation with feverfew at 325 mg (standardized grade of parthenolide concentration of 0.7 percent), twice daily, which is the highest yield presently available in the marketplace.
As an aside, the parthenolide fraction of feverfew has also been explored for its anti-cancer properties due to its ability to reduce nuclear factor kappa beta, an important transcription factor in the proliferation of many cancer cells. Parthenolide also demonstrates other impressive anti-cancer properties such as inducing programmed cell death of cancer cells via up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor stimulation.
- A Combination Approach
In conjunction with chiropractic adjustments, soft-tissue techniques, acupuncture, stress-reduction programs, the removal of foods from the diet that act as triggers, and other treatments shown to be useful in migraine control, the addition of a twice-daily supplement containing the effective doses of butterbur and feverfew should also be included in an evidence-based approach to treating migraines. In the early stages of a migraine attack, the patient can try taking three to four capsules as a single dose in an attempt to abort the migraine. If this effort fails to halt the migraine, other standard pharmaceutical drugs designed for migraine control can be used as a rescue medication.
Here is an example of a combination supplement containing butterbur and feverfew, which contains optimal amounts of their medicinal ingredients. One capsule contains: butterbur root 75 mg (standardized to minimum 15 percent sesquiterpenes as petasines; feverfew 325 mg (standardized grade of parthenolide concentration of 0.7 percent). Adults: take one capsule twice per day for migraine prevention. At the first sign of a migraine, consider taking three to four capsules as a single dose to help abort or minimize the attack. Children ages 10 and up should take one capsule per day for migraine prevention.
- Cautionary Notes
To derive the best possible prophylactic effect for migraine patients, it is best to recommend a supplement that contains both butterbur and feverfew, at the dosages and standardized grades proven to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. It is important to make sure that the butterbur extract does not contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are toxic to the liver and may cause other serious problems.
Provided the pyrrolizidine alkaloid compounds have been removed from butterbur, the only reported side effects involve burping or mild gastrointestinal discomfort in rare cases. Butterbur does not have any reported drug-nutrient interactions and has an excellent safety profile to date.
Feverfew also has an impressive safety record. It may inhibit the activity of platelets; thus, individuals taking blood-thinning medications (such as aspirin and warfarin) should have their INR monitored during the early stages of supplementation to ensure that platelet clotting behavior remains within the desired range. Some infrequent side effects of feverfew include abdominal pain, indigestion, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and nervousness. Individuals with allergies to chamomile, ragweed, or yarrow are likely to be allergic to feverfew. Pregnant and nursing women, as well as children under age 6, should not take a supplement containing feverfew and butterbur.
Feverfew: A Natural Headache Cure
- (Reader's Digest Editors from the book Doctors' Favorite Natural Remedies)
The extraordinary herb that can treat your migraine.
Feverfew has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Its common name is testament to its historical usage as a medicine to reduce fevers, while its botanical name, Tanacetum parthenium, is said to refer to it having saved a man’s life when he fell from the Parthenon in Athens during its construction in the fifth century BC. Historically, feverfew has been used to address headaches from a wide range of sources, as well as many other painful conditions. Today it is almost exclusively taken to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines.
- How Feverfew Works
Feverfew appears to work in several ways to help prevent migraines, including decreasing blood vessel constriction and inhibiting the body’s production of inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins. A group of compounds called sesquiterpene lactones are believed to be the most medicinally active constituents of feverfew. Of those, a compound called parthenolide is present in the greatest quantity and is regarded as the most important; however, other compounds may also play significant roles in the herb’s medicinal action.
- How to Use Feverfew
Feverfew leaves can be consumed fresh or dried and in supplement form. Fresh feverfew leaves are bitter and may irritate the mucous membranes of the mouth so are best consumed with other food. Feverfew supplements won’t stop a migraine once it has started, but when taken on an ongoing basis may help to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks and make them less severe. Follow label instructions or take as professionally prescribed.
- Safety First
Do not take feverfew if you are allergic to plants from the Compositae (Asteraceae) family, which also contains daisies, sunflowers and echinacea. Feverfew has not been widely tested during pregnancy or breastfeeding so it is best avoided or used only under medical supervision during these periods.
- Where to Find Feverfew
Feverfew supplements are available in health food stores or from a qualified herbalist.
Feverfew or Bachelor's Button, kills human leukemia stem cells like no other single therapy
- (News-Medical)
A daisy-like plant known as Feverfew or Bachelor's Button, a traditional remedy for reducing fevers and a treatment for nervousness, hysteria and low spirits, is the source of an agent that kills human leukemia stem cells like no other single therapy, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center's James P. Wilmot Cancer Center have discovered. Their investigation is reported in the online edition of the journal, Blood.
It will take months before a useable, pharmaceutical compound can be made from parthenolide, the main component in Feverfew. However, UR stem cell expert Craig T. Jordan, Ph.D., and Monica L. Guzman, Ph.D., lead author on the Blood paper, say their group is collaborating with University of Kentucky chemists, who have identified a water-soluble molecule that has the same properties as parthenolide.
The National Cancer Institute has accepted this work into its rapid access program, which aims to move experimental drugs from the laboratory to human clinical trials as quickly as possible.
"This research is a very important step in setting the stage for future development of a new therapy for leukemia," says Jordan. "We have proof that we can kill leukemia stem cells with this type of agent, and that is good news."
Parthenolide is the first single agent known to act on myeloid leukemia at the stem-cell level, which is significant because current cancer treatments do not strike deep enough to kill mutant cells where the malignancy is born.
In other words, even the most progressive leukemia treatment, a relatively new drug called Gleevec, is effective only to a degree. It does not reach the stem cells, so "you're pulling the weed without getting to the root," Jordan says.
Feverfew has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy to reduce fevers and inflammation, to prevent migraine headaches, and to ease symptoms from arthritis. (A person with leukemia, however, would not be able to take enough of the herbal remedy to halt the disease.)
Investigating stem cells that give rise to cancer is an urgent new initiative, as is identifying stem-cell treatments that might end the disease process. Jordan and Guzman are among only a handful of stem cell biologists nationwide who are specifically studying cancer stem cells. In recent years, scientists have identified cancer stems cells in blood cancers and in brain and breast tumors – although the idea that cancer stems cells exist has been around for at least 40 years.
In the current study, the UR group began investigating Feverfew after other scientists showed that it prevented some skin cancers in animal models. Intrigued by the plant's anti-tumor activities, the UR team analyzed how a concentrated form of parthenolide would act on the most primitive types of acute myelogenous leukemia cells, chronic myelogenous leukemia cells and normal cells.
In laboratory experiments, they also compared how human leukemia stem cells reacted to parthenolide, versus a common chemotherapy drug called cytarabine. The result: parthenolide selectively killed the leukemia cells while sparing the normal cells better than cytarabine.
Scientists believe parthenolide might also make cancer more sensitive to other anti-tumor agents. And, the UR group was able to demonstrate the molecular pathways that allow parthenolide to cause apoptosis, or cancer cell death, increasing the chances of developing a new therapy.
Jordan is director of the Translational Research for Hematologic Malignancies program at the Wilmot Cancer Center and associate professor of Medicine and Biomedical Genetics. Guzman is senior instructor of hematology/oncology.
Other co-investigators include: Randall Rossi, associate scientist; Lilliana Karnischky, laboratory technician; Xiaojie Li, technical associate; Derick Peterson, Ph.D., assistant professor of biostatistics, and Dianna Howard, M.D., at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Ginger and Feverfew may Help Migraine Sufferers
- By Kathy Jones
Migraine sufferers may get some relief from their symptoms by opting for alternative treatment involving ginger and feverfew herb, a new study reveals.
The study, which was funded by PuraMed Bioscience, divided around 60 participants into two groups, with one group involving 45 people taking the ginger/feverfew preparation while the other 15 took dummy treatment.
The researchers found that over 63 percent of those who took the homeopathic treatment experienced some relief while over a third experienced complete relief within two hours of taking the treatment compared to just 39 percent who were given the dummy treatment.
The study however has attracted some criticism with Dr Rebecca Erwin Wells of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center stating that the study was authored by the CEO and chairman of PuraMed Bioscience which prepares such homeopathic treatment.
Golden feverfew a burst of bold splash
- By Erle Nickel
Sometimes a plant needs to do just one thing, especially if it does that one thing really well. Nowhere is this more evident than with Tanacetum parthenium aureum, commonly known as golden feverfew. Although it produces pretty, yellow-and-white flowers in summer, it's the glorious yellow-green foliage gardeners are after. It forms a vigorous shrub 12 to 18 inches tall and slightly wider and grows quickly in spring. Golden feverfew turns chartreuse when it's planted in enough afternoon sun.
This is not a shy plant, so use it where you want a bold splash of color. It works if you plant it among cooler foliage, where it becomes a focal point, or among other saturated colors where it can hold its own.
I have mine planted next to screaming-orange ice plants, and they look wonderful together, greeting visitors as they come up our front walkway. Then again, due to its modest size, it can be tucked in front of larger sun-loving shrubs, like abelias, spireas or philadelphus. It can even take a bit of shade, though it may lose a bit of its bright hue.
The foliage itself is quite attractive - so finely cut that it resembles a fern. As mentioned, the foliage is the appeal of this plant, and some gardeners prune off new flowers to keep the focus on the leaves.
But there's more to golden feverfew than meets the eye. As its common name suggests, it has a long tradition of being used as a medicinal plant. Though there is no definitive record for its original use, it was noted to be an anti-inflammatory by the Greek physician Dioscorides in the first century.
The word "feverfew" derives from the Latin word febrifugia, meaning fever reducer. Additionally, the plant has long been used as a herbal treatment to treat digestive problems, headaches, even arthritis.
- Did you know?
Feverfew includes the active ingredients parthenolide and tanetin. Science has taken some interest in parthenolide, which has shown the potential to target cancer stem cells.
- Cultivation
Grow in full sun to light shade in fertile, well-drained soil. Tanacetum parthenium is considered a short-lived perennial and may die back in all zones except for 10 and 11. People often cut the plant to the ground in the late fall in order to spur lush new growth in spring. Feverfew is known to self-seed; to avoid this, deadhead flowers before they set seed. USDA zones 4-9.
- Pests & diseases
Leaf miners and aphids may be a problem and occasionally chrysanthemum nematodes but generally this is a very hardy plant.
- Availability
Tanacetum parthenium (syn. Chrysanthemum parthenium) is available at most Bay Area nurseries. It can be ordered from Annie's Annuals & Perennials ( www.anniesannuals.com). Seeds may be found at your local nursery.
The Health Benefits of Feverfew
- By Cathy Wong, ND(Reviewed by a board-certified physician)
What Should I Know About It?
-What is Feverfew?
Also known as "featherfew" and "wild chamomile," feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a plant belonging to the sunflower family. It has long been used as an herbal remedy in European folk medicine.
Feverfew contains a compound called parthenolide, which may help to ease muscle spasms, reduce inflammation, and prevent the constriction of blood vessels in the brain.
Feverfew is available in capsule, tablet, and liquid extract form, and is sold in most health food stores. Uses for Feverfew
In alternative medicine, feverfew is typically used as a herbal remedy for the following conditions:
- • Migraines
- • Arthritis
- • Psoriasis
- • Menstrual cramps
- • Asthma
- • Skin conditions
- • Stomachaches
-Health Benefits of Feverfew
Although research on feverfew's health effects is limited, studies have looked at the use of the herb in these conditions:
1) Migraine
In a 2005 study of 170 migraine patients, researchers found that those who took feverfew extract for 16 weeks experienced 1.9 fewer attacks per month than they had before the study started. (Study members who took a placebo for the same amount of time, meanwhile, experienced 1.3 fewer attacks per month.)
In a 2004 review of five clinical trials, however, investigators found insufficient evidence to suggest that feverfew is more effective than placebo in preventing migraine.
2) Rheumatoid Arthritis
Test-tube experiments have demonstrated that feverfew may help fight the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, although no human studies have proven feverfew to be more useful than placebo in treatment of this disease.
3) Pancreatic Cancer
In a 2005 study, scientists discovered that parthenolide extracted from feverfew inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in the lab. However, it's too soon to tell whether feverfew may be useful in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
-Caveats
Side effects may include minor stomach upset (such as nausea, diarrhea, and flatulence).
Patients who stop long-term use of feverfew may also experience muscle stiffness, moderate pain, and anxiety.
If you're allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemum, or marigold, you may be sensitive to feverfew.
Anyone taking anticoagulant or anti-platelet medication should consult their doctor before using feverfew.
It's important to keep in mind that supplements haven't been tested for safety and dietary supplements are largely unregulated. In some cases, the product may deliver doses that differ from the specified amount for each herb. In other cases, the product may be contaminated with other substances such as metals. Also, the safety of supplements in pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and those with medical conditions or who are taking medications has not been established. You can get further tips on using supplements here.
-Using Feverfew for Health
Due to the limited research, it's too soon to recommend feverfew as a treatment for any condition. It's also important to note that self-treating a condition and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences.
If you're considering using feverfew for any health purpose, make sure to consult your physician first.•
Feverfew - (Tanacetum parthenium) (previously called Chrysanthemum parthenium)
- (Register)
When Feverfew is mentioned in herbal articles, or in herbal remedies, the first thing they mention is its ability to relieve migraines. There are many more benefits that this herb can contribute to than that one particular ailment. Feverfew was aptly named for its traditional use to reduce fevers, but it has also gone by the common names of Featherfew, or Featherfoil due to the shape of its leaves. You will find it in old herbals (or medica materia) under the name “Parthenium." In those texts, Parthenium was described mostly as a valuable carminative, stomachic, and antispasmodic with its properties and uses closely resembling those of chamomile.
This perennial is found in disturbed habitats, roadsides, meadows, and fields all over the U.S. It is not a native of our area, but has easily naturalized due to the Early Colonists bringing it with them, and its spreading habit. It prefers full sun to partial shade, and well-drained soil; however, it will adapt to many different situations. It grows 18-24 inches with a spread of about 15 inches. It grows in zones 3-9. The leaves are alternate, pinnate, yellow-green, with scalloped and serrated edges. They tend to point towards the ground, and they have short hairs. They are similar to Chrysanthemum leaves if you are familiar with them. The flowers are tubular yellow disk flowers with white rays composing a composite head typical of the Asteraceae family. The flowers bloom from July-October, and are sometimes confused with Chamomile. The leaves are high in many nutrients such as: calcium, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, thiamine, and Vitamins A & C.
Traditionally, this herb was used mainly for arthritis, stomach aches, fevers, coughs, inflammations, headaches, to expel worms, and help with female reproductive ailments. It was also used to repel insects! Bees will not come near this plant, and it is best to make sure it is planted away from beneficial plants for these pollinators. It is considered an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, carminative, stimulant, nervine, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, and febrifuge. It is very similar in action to the modern day aspirin being that it will help to relieve pain, reduce fevers, prevent blood clots, and reduce inflammations. It helps with migraines by calming the nerves, reducing expansion or contraction of blood vessels, providing extra magnesium, and reducing muscle spasms. Back in the 17th century, John Parkinson (Apothecary to James I, Royal Botanist to Charles I, and English Herbalist), described feverfew as “very effectual for all paines in the head”. It was not until modern day science, that we now know the “Why” of its effectiveness; however, traditional herbalists knew it worked without knowing those particulars. It is mainly taken to prevent migraines, but some do get relief during their episode. Feverfew has a strong odor that is produced by the volatile oils, and a bitter taste. It is this bitter taste that stimulates saliva, stimulates digestion, and stimulates bile production. The volatile oils have also been shown to have antiseptic qualities. There are 29 components found in just the volatile oils alone! It also has been shown to reduce histamine release pertaining to allergies. J.T. Garrett explains in “The Cherokee Herbal”, “Feverfew’s strong odor helps to purify the air around the home, and it is used for alleviating asthma and allergies”. He also went on to say, “It helps those with low spirits and with muscle tension”. You can make an infusion of the herb, let it cool, and use it as a rinse on your pets to deter fleas. That same rinse will be beneficial for lice, scabies, psoriasis, insect bites, or other external inflammations. Remember, insects do not like feverfew! The anti-inflammatory property of this herb helps to reduce the pain of arthritis by reducing the inflammation in the joints. This will not cure arthritis by any means, but it will help with the symptoms. For women, it can stimulate and regulate menstrual flow, help with menopausal symptoms, and reduce tension (both in the muscles and the nerves). You can start drinking the infusion a few days before to help with those particular situations.
Feverfew: A Natural Remedy for Migraine Relief
- Source:http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/home-remedies/feverfew-a-natural-remedy-for-migraine-relief/
- (Best Health)
If you're prone to migraines, you may have fewer with feverfew. It has long been considered a go-to remedy for head pain'and here's why
- Feverfew can remedy your migraine symptoms
Feverfew is a home remedy used medicinally to prevent and treat the symptoms of migraines. How feverfew works for migraines may be its effect on serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that occurs naturally in the body and abnormal levels of serotonin are associated with migraines. Test-tube studies conducted in 1985 at the University Hospital in Nottingham, England, showed that an active ingredient in feverfew, parthenolide, inhibits the clumping-together of platelets in the bloodstream, which in turn discourages the release of excess serotonin.
- How to use feverfew for migraine prevention
If you’re trying out feverfew for migraine prevention, look for a product with a standardized amount of parthenolide, the herb’s active ingredient. Follow the package directions carefully. Make sure you store feverfew capsules in a cool, dry place, as levels of parthenolide can drop as much as 25 percent at room temperature in 6 months. If you are allergic to plants in the daisy family, which includes ragweed and chrysanthemums, be careful, as you could be allergic to feverfew.
People who take feverfew for a long time and then stop taking it may experience difficulty sleeping, headaches, joint pain, nervousness and stiff muscles.
- Modern research and studies on feverfew
A 1985 study in the British Medical Journal put feverfew in the spotlight. Researchers at the City of London (now National) Migraine Clinic asked migraine sufferers already using the herb to stop; some then started taking the herb again while others were given a placebo. The placebo group experienced more migraine headaches and more intense pain. A larger, 1988 study from the University of Nottingham, published in the journal The Lancet, confirmed feverfew’s ability to reduce the severity and frequency of migraines’by about 24 percent.
- Feverfew may help fight cystic fibrosis
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland found in a 2007 test-tube and mouse study that parthenolide’s anti-inflammatory action could one day be harnessed to ease the excessive inflammation that leads to lung destruction and death in people with cystic fibrosis. Parthenolide inhibited the release of an inflammatory chemical called interleukin-8’and might in the future be the basis for a safe, effective drug for this serious medical condition.
Feverfew may benefit those with migraine
- By DONAL O'MATHUNA
DOES IT WORK? Migraine is a common, debilitating condition that may not respond to pharmaceuticals
FEVERFEW IS often found in old gardens because of its relatively large, daisy-like flowers. While its name comes from its use in treating fevers, it has been heralded more recently as a remedy to prevent migraine headaches.
Migraine is a relatively common, recurrent problem which can be severely debilitating. Migraines and tension headaches can be caused by a variety of different factors, including foods, environmental factors and sleep disorders.
In treating and preventing migraines, such lifestyle factors must be considered. Pharmaceutical drugs are available, but can have adverse effects. Feverfew is promoted by some as a mild and safe remedy for the prevention of migraines.
- Evidence from studies
At least 40 different chemicals have been isolated from feverfew and shown to have some biological effect. Parthenolide was assumed to be the ingredient active against migraine, but recent studies have raised questions about this.
Several of the ingredients influence hormones and chemicals found in the brain, which lends credence to feverfew's potential impact on migraines. However, no consensus exists regarding how feverfew might prevent migraines.
About half a dozen controlled trials have been carried out using feverfew to prevent migraine. The longest lasted only four months. The results have been mixed.
Of the trials which showed no benefit from feverfew, most used an extract of the plant, but also were the trials of highest quality. The trials which found feverfew beneficial were of lower quality, and used the dried plant material in capsules.
The migraine patients who received feverfew tended to have fewer numbers of migraine headaches, but only one study found that the headache severity was reduced. Most of the evidence does not support feverfew improving migraine symptoms once an attack commences.
Controlled trials have not been conducted to test if feverfew is helpful in the treatment of migraines. All of the research located tested it as a means of preventing migraine.
- Problematic aspects
When taken in capsule form, adverse effects are relatively uncommon and mostly gastrointestinal problems. Traditionally, people were recommended to chew fresh feverfew leaves. This can lead to mouth ulcers, swollen tongue and lips and loss of taste.
These adverse effects have also been reported in some people using capsules containing dried plant material.
Feverfew is a member of the aster and daisy family, so anyone who is allergic to such plants (including chrysanthemums and marigolds) should be cautious when first trying feverfew.
Quality control appears to be difficult with feverfew products. Some of the active ingredients are unstable, and their concentration in the plant varies widely depending on the time of the year.
When independent researchers have tested commercial products, large variations have been found in the amount of active ingredient they contain.
- Recommendations
Migraine is a relatively common and debilitating condition.
While pharmaceuticals are available to prevent and treat migraines, they can have problematic side effects and don't work well for some migraine sufferers.
Some people with recurring migraine headaches might receive some benefit from feverfew.
However, the evidence available to support this is not particularly strong.
Feverfew is relatively safe, although care should be taken at first to watch for allergic reactions and mouth sensitivity. The evidence is slightly stronger for using products that contain dried plant material rather than extracts of the plants.
To reduce the incidence of migraine, other lifestyle factors such as diet, sleep and stress reduction should be examined. Once a migraine begins, however, there is no evidence that feverfew will reduce its duration or severity.
Conventional treatments should be pursued at that point.
Furness Abbey monks grew the cures for many ailments
- (NorthWest Evening Mail)
THE monks of Furness Abbey and people living on manor estates, farms or cottages couldn’t drive to Tesco to do the weekly shop.
Many of the products we take for granted had to be grown in medieval kitchen gardens.
Monks would use plant cures on themselves and to help the local community in an era long before the National Health Service.
An idea of what could be produced in the medieval era is provided by pictures from the recreated gardens at Cressing Temple Barns, near Colchester.
There were plenty of medicinal plants grown in the medieval garden.
Feverfew would dispel melancholy, you took vervain for fever, mandrake – or devil’s apple – to kill pain, or liquorice for chest complaints. Henbane – or devil’s eye – was a sedative, elecampane aided digestion and comfrey – or knitbone – was good for the treatment of broken bones.
Angelica protected against contagion and purified the blood.
It also kept witches and evil spirits at bay. Horehound was a liver and digestive system remedy and was also used for symptoms of malaria.
There are wild, yellow primroses everywhere at the moment but they were also cultivated as an important remedy for rheumatism and gout.
The flowers were also used in a dish called primrose pottage, or added to a mixture of rice, almonds, honey and saffron.
Perhaps the most unusual garden plant was the humble nettle – generally seen as a weed today.
It has a fibre which is similar to hemp or flax which can be extracted, dyed and used for clothing.
In First World War Germany and Austria, it was cultivated in vast quantities to make army uniforms. Beetroot – red, white and Roman – was widely grown.
John Gerard, writing in 1597, said: “May be used in winter for a salad herbe, with vinegre, oyle and salt, and is not only pleasant to the taste but also delightful to the eye.”
Many plants were grown for their ability to dye everything from textiles to hair and food.
Celandine, or saffron, produces yellow, hollyhock turns your wine red, marjoram gives purple linen and woad turns cloth blue.
Other uses for plants included wormwood as an insect repellent, sweet woodruff as an air freshener and sage for cleaning teeth.
The tools used would seem familiar to gardeners today – sheers, rakes, hoes, spades and baskets.
There was even an early version of a watering can called a thumb pot – made of clay with small holes at the bottom.
You can find out about other aspects of life in a medieval monastery tomorrow, Tuesday, May 17, from 2pm in a talk by local historian Alan Crosby for the History of Kirkby Group at the village hall in Beckside, Kirkby. All are welcome.
4 Drought-Friendly Medicinal Herbs for Your Garden
- By Michelle Schoffro Cook
It’s wonderful to grow your own herbs, but if you’re environmentally-conscious and have a busy schedule like me, you’ll want ones that need minimal watering and attention. I’ve compiled four of my top drought-tolerant medicinal herbs for your garden. Here are my picks:
• Feverfew (Tanacetum spp.): Feverfew is fairly easy to grow from seed and can be grown indoors or outdoors in pots or in your garden. It loves sunlight, and after it takes hold, it needs little care or attention. To grow it from seed, simply sprinkle the seeds onto the soil and press down slightly to ensure the seeds are in contact with the soil (after all signs of frost are gone); there is no need to cover them. The plant grows to about a foot and a half to two feet tall and blooms all summer. If you cut the plant back in the fall, it will grow back in the spring.
The aerial parts of the plant (those parts that are above the ground) are used in herbal medicine as a proven remedy for migraine headaches when taken regularly as a preventive measure. In a meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, researchers found that feverfew could reduce both the severity and significance of migraine headaches. To harvest feverfew, simply chop off the stems a couple inches above the base, wash and hang upside down to dry. Or chop the leaves, flowers and stems and prepare as a tea using one teaspoon of dried herb or one tablespoon of fresh herb per cup of boiling water.
• Juniper (Juniperus communis): There are 170 different species of juniper. The most common is Juniperus communis (hence the name); One variety, Juniperus sabina, is toxic and should not be consumed. Juniper is hardy and easy to grow except in extreme cold and heat. Even so, I’ve seen it thriving in the winter cold of the Canadian Rockies. It prefers full sunlight and well-drained, slightly acidic soil, although it will grow in most soil, including saline coastal soils. When planting juniper, as for any shrub or tree, dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, add some compost and plant the juniper, tamping down the soil. Water two to three times weekly for the first few weeks. After that, this beautiful shrub rarely needs watering except in severe drought conditions. A study published in the journal Neurochemical Research found that inhalation of the volatile oils of the juniper plant may hold promise for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, dementia and glaucoma.
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): You can easily experience the beauty and healing properties of lavender by using in food and body care. It will grow happily indoors in pots or outside in your garden. There are many species of lavender, most ranging from one to two feet tall and forming mounds of silver-green foliage topped with purple flowers in summer. They are simple to grow, making them an ideal plant for the lazy, busy or novice gardener.
It grows best in a sunny location with well-drained soil. To harvest, wait until the plant blooms, and cut the stems about one-third of the way from the flower heads. Collect the lavender on its stems and place in a vase or pitcher indoors to give the air a fresh, sweet smell. To dry lavender, tie one-inch bundles together with string or elastic bands and hang upside down until dry.
A recent study found that drinking lavender flower tea was slightly more effective than taking antidepressant drugs for the symptoms of depression. Study participants drank two cups of a lavender infusion daily, which can be made by using two teaspoons of dried lavender flowers per cup of boiling water, allowing it to sit for 10 minutes, straining and drinking.
• Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus): Mullein grows well in hot, dry conditions. It grows tall (up to five feet), rod-like stems from which velvety leaves radiate, with small yellow flowers on the top of the stalk. It prefers dry, sandy, or somewhat rocky soil with good drainage and needs minimal water. Mullein can also be planted directly outdoors. To harvest mullein, simply cut the base of the stalk and hang the whole plant upside down to dry in a clean, warm location. Once it has dried, pull off the leaves and store them in an air-tight jar or bag. Mullein has been traditionally used for many years to aid asthma, whooping cough, emphysema and other respiratory conditions. In laboratory tests, researchers found that a mullein extract was effective against two harmful bacterial strains, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. You can make a tea from two teaspoons of crushed, dried leaves per cup of boiling water, allowing it to infuse for ten minutes, straining and drinking.
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
- Source:http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/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
FeverFew flowers
Fever Few flowers
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