Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common AilmentsRobert M. Giller, M.D.
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| An herbal migraine treatment that has long been popular in Europe and is now available here is feverfew. A double-blind study of patients who reported they had been helped by feverfew was performed at the London Migraine Clinic. A test group was given a placebo to determine if their symptoms worsened. They did, increasing in both the frequency and severity of the attack.
Feverfew has some of the same antiinflammatory effects as aspirin, without aspirin's side effects. It must be taken for several weeks before the effects are felt. |
Michael Janson, M.D.
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 Active principles in feverfew are called sesquiterpenes, such as parthenolide. These inhibit prostaglandin production, leading to a reduction of inflammation. It is this anti-inflammatory property that may help treat arthritis. feverfew also lowers histamine release.
Recent studies have documented the value of feverfew in the control of migraine headaches. As little as 25 mg twice per day has reduced both the intensity and the frequency of migraine headaches. It probably produces some of its effects as a result of alterations in serotonin production. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 Caution: Do not use cat's claw or feverfew during pregnancy. rj Ginger is a powerful antioxidant that has antiinflammatory effects. The active component is gingerol. Ginger inhibits pain-producing prostaglandins.
Q The hot peppers known as cayenne (capsicum) contain a compound called capsaicin that relieves pain, apparently by inhibiting the release of substance P, a neurotransmitter responsible for communicating pain sensations. Capsaicin can be absorbed through the skin. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
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 A supplement called Migra-care (by Enzymatic Therapies) provides this standardized dose of parthenolide extracted from feverfew.
2. Persons with migraine may have lower levels of serum magnesium, which affects serotonin receptors. Daily supplementation with a product providing 500-1000 mg of elemental magnesium is suggested. The ideal supplement will provide several different forms such as magnesium aspartate, magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium amino acid chelate.
3. |
Walter Last
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 The herb feverfew may help. Correct any constipation or intestinal inflammation. Do head and neck exercises; pressure massage the neck and shoulder muscles and around the base of the big toes; have a neck adjustment and exercise your scalp muscles. Avoid stress; rest; get fresh air; walk; and do deep breathing. During a migraine attack, imagine your arms becoming warm, possibly soak them in warm water. Riboflavin (vitamin B2), up to 100 mg four times daily, has been found to prevent most migraines; use together with B-complex. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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 It is a primary active principle of feverfew, which is used in the treatment of migraine.
DITERPENOIDS
The diterpenoids are C2o molecules derived from four isoprene units, but modifications during the later stages of synthesis produce a wealth of different structures. Diter-penes share many chemical properties with sesquiterpenes, but are usually crystalline solids rather than liquids.
Classification of Diterpenes
Diterpenes are classified according to the number of ring systems present.60 In addition, they form either acyclic or macrocyclic substances. |
John Heinerman
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 Jenkins discovered just how effective feverfew had been for her, she turned part of her garden into a feverfew nursery and began giving out free clumps to 14 other sufferers, all of whom got rid of their own migraines in 4 to 6 months.
Mrs. Jenkins mentioned another curious benefit, while on this herb for half a year. For a long time she had suffered from osteoarthritis, but considered that a minor handicap compared with the agonies of her migraine and the side effects of the drug she took. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine. British Medical Journal (Clinical Research ed.). 1985 Aug 31; 291:569-73.
9. Morgenstern C, Biermann E. The efficacy of Ginkgo special extract EGb 761 in patients with tinnitus. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2002 May; 40(5): 188-97.
Suggested Reading
Hoffmann D. Successful Stress Control: An Herbal Guide to Stress Relief. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1991.
17
THE URINARY SYSTEM
The importance of the urinary system cannot be overemphasized. |
| All of the feverfew sesquiterpenes that demonstrate antimigraine activity are classified as germacranolide-type sesquiterpenes.
Toxicity
The sesquiterpene lactones are highly irritating to the nose, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract of sheep and goats. Plants that contain sesquiterpene lactones kill thousands of sheep each year in the United States. Among the toxic sesquiterpene lactones identified are tenulin in Helenium amarum (bitter sneezeweed) and hymenoxon in Hymenoxys odorata (bitter rubberweed). |
Bill Gottlieb
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 Check the labels on feverfew products to make sure the product you choose contains parthenolide and follow the dosage recommendations on the label, he adds. feverfew supplements are available in most health food stores.
Iliil
Hydrotherapy
Contrast showers can sometimes head off a migraine, suggests Agatha Thrash, M.D, a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama. She suggests a brief hot shower followed by a slightly longer cold shower every morning and any time during the day that you feel a migraine coming on. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| For example, feverfew is traditionally used for the prophylaxis of migraine in the form of a fresh leaf chewed daily, which may cause canker sores (aphthous ulcers). However, this often-repeated risk does not apply when the leaf is swallowed or when the herb is taken in tablet and tincture forms, which cause no buccal irritation.
Subjective opinion or belief system. Subjective statements from those considered experts in the field are often un-questioningly accepted as insightful, considered opinions. But who are the experts in these situations? |
| Sesquiterpene Lactones
Parthenolides from feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) inhibit both platelet aggregation and the release of serotonin from platelets.
Diterpenes
As discussed earlier, forskolin is a diterpene isolated from the roots of Coleus forskohlii. It stimulates adenylate cyclase activity in many tissues, which appears to be the action responsible for its antiplatelet activity.
Ginkgolides
PAF is dramatically inhibited by ginkgolides from Ginkgo biloba. |
John Heinerman
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| Jenkins discovered just how effective feverfew had been for her, she turned part of her garden into a feverfew nursery and began giving out free clumps to 14 other sufferers, all of whom got rid of their own migraines in 4 to 6 months.
Mrs. Jenkins mentioned another curious benefit, while on this herb for half a year. For a long time she had suffered from osteoarthritis, but considered that a minor handicap compared with the agonies of her migraine and the side effects of the drug she took. |
The Life Extension Editorial Staff
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| Par-thenolide, in turn, contains a variant of methylene-gamma-lactone (MGL) that interacts with macrophages. The white blood cell-lactone interaction suppresses a critical protein process, a repression that ultimately inhibits the COX-2 enzyme. In addition, feverfew contains apigenin (a flavonoid) and melatonin, both COX-2 inhibitors (Mutch et al. 1997). An intriguing revelation is that the same COX-2-inhibiting hormone expressed by the pineal gland in the brain is also found in a few plants (Hattori et al. 1995). |
Heather Boon, BScPhm, PhD and Michael Smith, BPharm, MRPharmS, ND
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 Labeling standards existed for only a few herbs, including chamomile, echinacea root, ephedra, feverfew leaf, ginkgo, peppermint, St. John's wort and valerian. In addition, while all Traditional Herbal Medicines were required to adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), establishment licenses were not necessarily required.2 No products for sale in Canada as non-prescription products (i.e. |
David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
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| However, it is best to ensure that herbal support covers more factors than those addressed by feverfew. Ginkgo offers some very relevant properties, mainly related to its ability to tone the blood vessel walls and reduce the tendency for platelet aggregation. Ginkgo extract (standardized to 24% ginkgo flavone glycosides and 6% terpene lactones) at a dose of 120 mg/day in two or three divided doses is recommended. |
John Heinerman
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| S Johnson et al, "Efficacy of feverfew as Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine." British Medical Journal 291:569-573-
Feverfew works well for migraines in three different forms. There is, of course, consumption of the fresh leaves each day with a little parsley. Then there is the tea, made by simmering 5 leaves in 2 cups of boiling water for 15 minutes and sipping 1 cup 3 times daily. Or there are the capsules—two of them twice daily in between meals for up to six months. |
Bill Gottlieb
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| Herbal Therapy
Scientific studies show that the herb feverfew can reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. That's because parthenofide, the plant's active ingredient, inhibits the brain chemicals that dilate blood vessels and cause a migraine, he explains.
Feverfew will work effectively only if you take it every day—not just when you get a migraine—and only if you take enough of it, according to Dr. Tyler. |
Mark Blumenthal
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 Primary Uses
• Migraine prophylaxis (de Weerdt et al, 1996; Palevitch et al, 1997; Anderson etai, 1988; Murphy etai, 1988; Johnson etai, 1985)
• Nausea and vomiting associated with migraine (Palevitch etai, 1997; Murphy etai, 1988; Johnson etai, 1985)
Dosage
Optimal doses of feverfew for therapeutic benefits have not been established; however, an adult dose equivalent to 0.2-0.6 mg of parthenolide is recommended for migraine prophylaxis (ESCOP, 1996; Johnson etai, 1985; Murphy etai, 1988). |
Michael T. Murray, N.D.
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 In the study, seventy-two patients were randomly allocated to receive either one capsule of dried feverfew leaves (82 milligrams) daily or placebo. After 4 months patients were transferred to the other treatment for another 4 months. Treatment with feverfew was associated with a reduction in the mean number and severity of attacks and in the degree of vomiting; duration of single attacks was unaltered.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammatory compounds released by white blood cells and platelets contribute greatly to the inflammation and cellular damage found in rheumatoid arthritis. |
Doris J. Rapp, M.D.
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 Mosquitos do not like the following herb aromas: garlic, cedar wood, lemongrass, frankincense, cinnamon, geranium, eucalyptus, basil, rosemary, cloves, peppermint, lemon balm (citronella), onions, feverfew, thyme and marigold.80
• Naturale Ltd., a vapor wristband that is said to give insect protection up to 60 hours.56
• Bite Blocker™ is said to provide 97% insect protection.57
• Natrapel, a citronella-based lotion reported to be 84% effective against mosquitos.58
Avon Skin-So-Soft™, another citronella-based repellent, is said to provide about 40% protection. |
volker schulz and Rudolf Hansel
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 It involved capsules filled with a dried ethanolic extract of feverfew on microcrystalline cellulose, each containing 0.5 mg of parthenolide. The double-blind cross-over study involved 50 patients to whom the capsules containing the herbal extract or a placebo were administered for 4 months. In the 44 patients who completed the study, there were no differences in number of attacks or lost working days. |
Earl L. Mindell, RPh, PhD with Virginia Hopkins, MA
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| If you tend to get migraines, it's best to take feverfew daily as a preventive until you've found the underlying cause. You can use it in capsule or tincture form, but since it tastes absolutely terrible you might want to stick with the capsules! Follow the instructions on the container.
Coffee. If you feel a headache coming on, a cup or two of coffee can constrict your blood vessels enough to prevent it. On the other hand, too much coffee can cause a headache, as can coffee withdrawal. Coffee is a stimulating drug and should be treated as such.
Relaxation. |
Mark Blumenthal
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| An extract of feverfew inhibits interactions of human platelets with collagen substrates. Thromb Res 1987;48(5):511-18.
Maries R, Kaminski J, Arnason J, et al. A bioassay for inhibition of serotonin release from bovine platelets. J Nat Prod 1992;55(8):1044-1056.
McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A (eds.). American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 1997.
Medical Products Agency (MPA). Naturlakemedel: Authorised Natural Remedies (as of January 24, 2001). Uppsala, Sweden: Medical Products Agency; 2001.
MPA. See: Medical Products Agency. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 Stress-related migraines can be treated with the herb feverfew, which acts as a sedative, and can be consumed in either a tea or in capsules. Recommended dosage is one cup of tea per day, or one or two capsules of the freeze-dried extract version. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and moderate exercise, such as swimming and walking, can be employed to further reduce stress and improve the emotional state. hen the herb feverfew is accompanied by 250 to 500 mg of magnesium
V V and 125 mg of ginkgo biloba on a daily basis, the symptoms of migraines can be drastically reduced. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
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 Chewing feverfew leaves has been known to cause mouth ulcers.8 feverfew is not recommended during pregnancy or lactation and should not be used by children under the age of 2 years.
Fo-Ti
(Polygonum multiflorum)
Common name: He-shou-wu
Parts Used and Where Grown: Fo-ti is a plant native to China, where it continues to be widely grown. It also grows extensively in Japan and Taiwan. |
| Double-blind studies have shown that continuous use of feverfew leads to a reduction in the severity, duration, and frequency of migraine headaches.25,26,27
Studies suggest that taking standardized feverfew leaf extracts that supply a minimum of 250 meg of parthenolide (the active constituent) per day is best. Results may not be evident for at least 4 to 6 weeks.
One case report suggested success using 4-6 grams per day of powdered ginger (p. 427) for migraines and the nausea that accompanies them.28 Ginger may also be taken as a tincture in the amount of 1.5-3 ml 3 times daily. |
Mark Blumenthal
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| Quest Vitamins (quest vitamins)
Scotia Cream (scotia pharmaceuticals ltd.) feverfew no branded products in monograph flax
Alena™ (enreco, inc.) garlic
AGE™ (wakunaga of america co., ltd.)
Aged Garlic Extract™ (extract used in kyolic® product line)
HofePs® Garlic Pearles One-A-Day (seven seas ltd., division of merck group)
Kwai® forte 300 mg LI III (lichtwer pharma ag) kwai heartfit™ garlic (u.s.: abkit, inc.)
Kwai®N LI 1 1 1 (lichtwer pharma ag) kwai® garlic supplement (u.s.:abkit, inc.)
Kyolic® Liquid (wakunaga of america co., ltd.)
Kyolic® Reserve (wakunaga of america co., ltd. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
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| Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine. BMJ 1985; 291: 569-73.
27. Palevitch D, Earon G, Carasso R. feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) as a prophylactic treatment for migraine: A double-blind placebo-controlled study. Phytother Res 1997; 11: 508-11.
28. Srivasta KC, Mustafa T. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in migraine headache. / Ethnopharmacol 1992; 39: 267-73.
29. Lamant V, Mauco G, et al. Inhibition of the metabolism of platelet activating factor (PAF-acether) by three specific antagonist from Ginkgo biloba. Biochem Pharmacol 1987; 36: 2749-52.
30. Levy RL. |
Mark Blumenthal
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| Theoretically, feverfew should not be ingested at the same time as blood-thinning (anticoagulant or antiplatelet) medications like aspirin or warfarin. However, this has not been scientifically proven in human studies.
3 comments when using a dietary supplement, purchase it from a reliable source. for best results, use the same brand of product throughout the period of use. as with all medications and dietary supplements, please inform your healthcare provider of all herbs and medications you are taking. |
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