Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
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 Nutritional Supplements
• Magnesium: 250-400 mg three times per day
• Vitamin B6: 25 mg three times per day
• 5-HTP: 100-200 mg three times per day
Botanical Medicines
• feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): 0.25-0. |
| The effectiveness of feverfew is dependent upon adequate levels of partheno-lide, the active principle.76
Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)
The common ginger root has been shown to exert significant effects against inflammation and platelet aggregation.'7,78 Unfortunately, in relation to migraine headache, there is much anecdotal information but little clinical evidence. For example, a 1990 article described a forty-two-year-old woman with a long history of recurrent migraines who discontinued all medications for a three-month period prior to a trial of ginger. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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 Better to take feverfew as a tea or as capsules of the freeze-dried leaf. Typical dosage: up to three 300- to 400-milligram capsules per day,- or up to 2 average-sized
Eating to Stop headaches
Several studies have shown that many people who experience migraines have food allergies or a more subtle version of an allergy: food intolerance. Reducing or removing the amounts of these foods in the diet often reduces or eliminates the headaches. As a bonus, the patients who give up these foods often get rid of other allergy-linked problems, such as asthma and eczema. |
| The Green Pharmacy, suggests using bay in combination with feverfew to prevent migraine. A typical dose is not well established, so you may want to check with your herbal practitioner.
Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)
Laboratory studies have shown that the capsaicin in cayenne blocks a chemical involved in the nerve transmission of pain. Cayenne is also rich in salicylates, natural aspirin-like compounds. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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 Typically, one capsule is taken two to three times per day. feverfew should not be taken if you are pregnant. Both of these products are available in health food stores.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is very common, but what causes it is still largely unknown. Inside the joints, especially the spine, hands, wrists, hips, knees, feet, and shoulders, cartilage deteriorates and bony spurs develop. The joints hurt and motion becomes more difficult. It has been suggested that these changes come, not from damage per se, but from the joint's attempts to repair itself. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D.
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 Analysis of over thirty-five different commercial preparations of feverfew indicated a wide variation in the amounts of parthenolide in commercial preparations.6 The majority of products contained no parthenolide or only traces. Analysis of twelve commercial sources of taheebo could identify lapachol (in trace amounts) in only one product.7
Perhaps the best example of problems that can result from a lack of quality control is provided by Panax ginseng, as outlined below. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 The herb feverfew is used to effectively combat the onset of migraine headaches by altering blood vessel functioning and cellular magnesium transfer.
(Headaches induced by stressful situations or muscle tension cannot be treated with this particular herb, only true migraines.) Wild ginger can be used to alleviate head pain, while the versatile dong quai soothes muscle tissue. After a workout, dong quai can be taken along with either ginger or mint. |
Ralph Golan, M.D.
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 Arthritis (noninfectious)
Herbal Bromelain (devil's claw, black cohosh, bromelain/pineapple, ginger, turmeric, celery, quercetin/ yellow onion, feverfew): two to four capsules three to four times a day (Eclectic Institute). Rheumatoplex (Chinese nardostachytis, myrrh gum, Chinese mastix, Chinese notopterygii root, Chinese achranthis root, Chinese poria): one to five capsules three times a day (Herb Technology/Khalsa Health Center). |
Jean Carper
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 How well feverfew works for such conditions is unknown, because of the lack of clinical tests.
Wonder Drug for Osteoarthritis
(GLUCOSAMINE)
It's the only agent known that can stop or reverse the biggest crippler of all—osteoarthritis. And it's totally safe!
No wonder arthritis sufferers call it a "wonder drug." It decidedly is when pitted against the alternatives offered by conventional medicine—"gnarled joints, inexorable pain, and little hope for a cure," as one expert aptly put it. |
American Medical Publishing
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| For example, feverfew is indicated for headaches. If you have pain, seek to deal with it naturally before you consider this risk of getting addicted to this very tricky medication.
No. 37 — Veetids — This is a penicillin antibiotic. It is used to treat infections and infectious diseases.
Potential dangers — Biggest danger is allergic reaction, which can be minor, or a serious as death. This drug can counter the effects of oral contraceptives. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't take this drug while you are on the pill. Allergic reactions are made stronger by beta-blockers. |
Kathi Keville
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 Among the most beneficial herbs are evening primrose, meadowsweet, feverfew, hops, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, garlic and flaxseed. Many of these can be used to flavor foods. Cereals containing flaxseed can be found in most grocery stores— just check the labels.
Start taking these herbs about a week before menstruation, since that is when PG2 levels begin to rise. It could be as long as three months before you see results. |
| Headache Tincture
1 teaspoon each tinctures of feverfew leaves, ginkgo leaves, valerian rhizome, ginger rhizome and peppermint leaves *vt Combine ingredients. Take a drop-perful as needed, up to 8 times a day.
Lavender Headache Compress
5 drops lavender essential oil 1 cup cold water ty9 Add essential oil to water and swish a soft cloth in it. Wring out the cloth, lie down and close your eyes. Place the cloth over your forehead and eyes. Use throughout the day, as often as you can. s iff
Insomnia
My friend Amber struggled with a chronic stress-related illness for years. |
| For example, Saint-John's-wort, oat berries and feverfew lose most of their properties when dried. A significant portion of the essential oils in fragrant herbs such as peppermint and chamomile is lost in even the most careful drying process. On the other hand, herbs that contain a great deal of water—comfrey and calendula flowers, for example—are sometimes best when used in dried form; otherwise, the final product will be too diluted.
Whenever one type of preparation is better than another to treat a specific condition, the reason is explained in that chapter. |
| Although feverfew has been studied for years, the exact way in which it works remains a mystery. Researchers have said that one way the herb appears to reduce migraines is by inhibiting the release of serotonin in the brain. It may also decrease swelling in the brain by reducing the amounts of prostaglandins, histamines and other substances that cause inflammation, according to Denis Awang, Ph.D., former director of the Natural Products Section of Canada's Department of Health and Welfare. |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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 Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial of feverfew in
Migraine Prevention," Lancet, 2(8604), July 23, 1988, p. 189-192.
¦ FLAX
Cancer
Results of this study showed that 4 weeks of flaxseed flour feeding or defatted flaxseed meal (5% or 10%) in a high-fat diet to male rats led to a significant decrease in the formation of aberrant crypts and foci, and epithelial cell proliferation in the colon. A flaxseed diet significantly reduced the epithelial cell proliferation and nuclear aberration in female rat mammary glands as well.
—M. |
Arthur C. Upton, M.D.
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| You may be exposed to poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac; other irritating plants, such as chrysanthemums, ragweed, English ivy, primrose, tulips, hyacinths, garlic onions, sagebrush, feverfew, liverwort, lichens,and primrose; organomer-curials (mercury); pesticides; formaldehyde; and halogenated hydrocarbon solvents.
Be alert to potential skin irritants and allergens in hobbyist materials. Read labels and clean up properly. Consult your doctor if your rash persists.
Be alert to potential skin irritants and allergens in hobbyist materials. Read labels and clean up properly. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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 Turmeric or feverfew.
• Umeboshi plum paste.
• Nux vomica.
• Phosphorus.
• Pulsatilla.
• Rhus toxicodendron.
• Ruta graveolens.
• Sulfur.
• Thuja.
• Urtica urens.
• Urtica urens ointment.
• A calcium and magnesium combination formula.
• Zinc lozenges.
• Save'A'Tooth solution (see tooth, broken or knocked out, in Part Two).
• Smelling salts.
• Cantharis.
• Carbo vegetabilis.
• Chamomilla.
• China.
• Colocynthis.
• Ferrum phosphoricum.
• Gelsemium.
• Hepar sulphuris calcareum.
• Hypericum.
• Hypericum opintment.
• Ignatia amara.
• Kali bichromicum.
• Lachesis.
• Ledum. |
Margarita Artschwager Kay
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 The name Artemisia has through history mixed a variety of genera and species, primarily Asteraceae, including absinth, Ambrosia, chrysanthemum, feverfew, Parthenium, and Senecio. Pliny (1938,7:381) in the first century a.d. and Claude Levi-Strauss (1966:46) in the twentieth century noted that Artemisia was used in the popular pharmacopoeia everywhere for women's conditions, to regulate menstruation and to stimulate childbirth. Thus, the generic name may derive from the Greek goddess of women, Artemis. Cones of A. |
Kathi Keville
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| Premenstrual Tea
1 teaspoon each vitex berries and wild yam rhizome
V2 teaspoon each burdock root, dandelion root, feverfew leaves and hops strobiles (the flowering parts)
1 quart water
•V Combine herbs and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain out herbs. Drink at least 2 cups daily, as needed. This formula can also be taken as a tincture; there are many commercial formulas available for menstrual pain. To make your own tincture, use the same proportions as for this tea. . |
Gary Null, Ph.D.
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| Examples are dong quai for menstrual cramps, feverfew for migraines, and white willow bark for regular headaches.
A moderate exercise program will produce endorphins to help alleviate pain.
What to Avoid
Treatment Summary
The practice of chiropractic care can correct problems that are at the root of chronic pain, especially when they relate to the spine and nerves.
Working to overcome the depression that often accompanies chronic pain may speed up the healing process. |
Jean Carper
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| My niece is taking feverfew to prevent migraine headaches. My brother-in-law is taking St. John's wort instead of Prozac. My ninety-two-year-old mother has been taking ginkgo biloba for two years, since her memory began to falter. I think it has helped her greatly.
Doing the research for this book was formidable and quite different from the research for the other nineteen books I have written, most on related health and nutrition subjects. In researching other books, I found that much of the medical literature was readily available. |
| He uses all the appropriate conventional medicines, but when a safer, better, less expensive remedy may work, such as feverfew for migraines, he suggests that, too. Many enlightened medical doctors are integrating "alternative" medicine into their practices. But, unfortunately, the only way most people find such doctors is by word of mouth.
The nation's best current repository of reliable information on natural remedies consists of naturopathic doctors, who carry an "N.D." behind their names. |
American Medical Publishing
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| For example, feverfew is indicated for headaches. If you have pain, seek to deal with it naturally before you consider this risk of getting addicted to this potentially very dangerous medication.
No. 40 — Mevacor — Another of the recently enormously popular statins drugs that reduce cholesterol. See chapter in this book devoted to the dangers of these drugs.
While this drug was initially believed to be extremely safe, the most recent evidence is that it has some serious potential dangers, and its use could result in death. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 SIDE EFFECTS
Allergic contact dermatitis has been noted in many cases after contact with feverfew. The sesquiterpene lactones are responsible.86-87 In the survey conducted by Johnson in the early 1980s, side effects occurred in 17.9% of 270 patients surveyed. The side effects were considered mild and included mouth ulcers/sore tongue (6.4%), abdominal pain/indigestion (3.9%), unpleasant taste (3.0%), tingling sensation (0.9%), urinary problems (0.9%), headache (0.9%), swollen lips/mouth (0.4%) and diarrhoea (0.4%). |
Jean Carper
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| Many scientifically sound reasons explain how a natural medicine can fight on many fronts at once, attacking an underlying disease process, such as inflammation, common to many diverse diseases, including arthritis, asthma, and artery disease. feverfew, the herb that prevents migraines, is a prime example: Because of its anti-inflammatory activity, it's also used in some countries to relieve arthritis pain and respiratory problems. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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| Take 1,000 milligrams (1 gram) twice daily.
¦ feverfew has been used for centuries for arthritis. Some studies have found that the anti-inflammatory effects of this herb are greater than those achieved by NSAIDs. Take 250 milligrams once or twice daily.
¦ Siberian ginseng helps to strengthen the immune system and improve adrenal function. Choose a standardized extract containing 0.5 percent eleutheroside E and take 100 milligrams in the morning and again in the afternoon.
¦ Yucca also has anti-inflammatory action. Take 1,000 milligrams (1 gram) twice daily. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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| Intraperitoneal administration of feverfew extract inhibited collagen-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs. The authors concluded that this was a consequence of phospholipase A2 inhibition.71 Similarly, parthenolide protected against experimentally induced nephrocalcinosis in rats.72
It has been found that a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor significantly reduces the severity of a migraine headache.73 The sesquiterpene lactone cos-tunolide, which is structurally close to parthenolide, exhibits strong nitric oxide synthase inhibitory activity in vivo. |
| To investigate Compositae dermatitis, sesquiterpene lactones and ether extracts of five European Compositae plants (Arnica, feverfew, German chamomile, yarrow and tansy) were added to routine patch testing of patients over 1 year; 4.5% of the 686 patients demonstrated Compositae sensitivity. Testing with the individual ingredients of the extract in these Compositae-allergic patients resulted in 75% positive reaction to chamomile.66
An earlier study found that application of Compositae ether extracts to the skin of 25 Compositae-sensitive patients revealed that two were allergic to chamomile. |
| The plant looks somewhat similar to chamomile at first glance. feverfew has had many botanical names including Chrysanthemum parthenium, Pyrethrum parthenium and Matricaria pyrethrum. It has a strong smell, particularly disliked by bees. The common name is believed to be derived from the Latin febris (a fever) and fugure (to drive away), as it was used to cure fevers. The part used medicinally is the leaf with or without stem, collected when the plant is in flower. |
Kathi Keville
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| The fresh leaves of feverfew are more potent than the dried, so when you buy a tincture or freeze-dried capsule, make sure that the product was made with fresh leaves (this should be clearly marked on the label).
Remember, though, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. |
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