Post by Rik Wallin on Apr 6, 2007 10:43:42 GMT -6
Feverfew: Herb of Many Misconceptions
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article first appeared in the
July, 1996
issue of VRP's Nutritional News
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin Research Products, Inc.
3579 Hwy. 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701
1-702-884-1300, fax 1-702-884-1331
1-800-877-2447, fax 1-800-877-3292
VRP's HomePage www.vrp.com
email: mail@vrp.com
Disclaimer: This information may be copied and distributed freely as long
as all text remains intact, unchanged and with Vitamin Research Products,
Inc. listed as source. Commercial use or commercial distribution may not
occur without the express written permission of Vitamin Research Products,
Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
No information in this article should be taken as a recommendation. If you
have any questions about the relationship between feverfew and your health,
seek the advice of a qualified physician.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feverfew: Herb of Many Misconceptions
Al Adrian
What follows is a brief discussion of some historical, botanical, and
pharmacological aspects of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) as well as some
of the misconceptions about it.
Medicinal history
Tanacetum refers to a genus of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. This is
the family of plants characterized by such well known species as thistles,
dahlias, goldenrods, daisies, and sunflowers. With over 19,000 species
growing worldwide, members of the Composite family are found in virtually
all terrestrial habitats. Originating in the Balkans and cultivated for
centuries in Europe for ornamental and medicinal purposes, feverfew is now
widely distributed throughout the Americas. Feverfew is commonly found in
waste places and old gardens. It also grows along roadsides and the borders
of woods. In North America it can be found from Quebec to Maryland and west
to Ohio.
Feverfew has had a long history of medicinal use. Steven Foster, one of
America's most eminent herbalists, points out in his excellent monograph on
feverfew that Dioscorides, a first century Greek physician, recommended it
over 1900 years ago. Foster further informs us that feverfew has been used
throughout the world in various cultures in a number of other ways. It has
been used as a carminative (relieves stomach problems-gaseous distention
and flatulence), emmenagogue (substance which promotes menstrual
discharge), tonic, vermifuge (expeller of parasitic worms), and anti
inflammatory agent for arthritis. It has also been used for the treatment
of kidney pain, vertigo, and relief from morning sickness.
Parthenolide content
A strongly aromatic perennial, feverfew bears a daisy-like disc, or head,
of strongly crowded bisexual yellow flowers with a single row of white ray
florets. Two well publicized British studies, one conducted at the City of
London Migraine Clinic in collaboration with Chelsea College, and the other
at Nottingham's University Hospital, used material conforming to this
description. Dried leaf, acquired from the Chelsea Physic Garden with a
parthenolide (a sesquiterpene lactone thought to be the active ingredient)
at a concentration of 0.42%, was used in the London clinical trial.
However, it should be noted that the parthenolide content varies in the
three or four varieties available and that the greatest percentage of
parthenolide is not to be found in the leaves of the variety chosen for the
British studies but in a form (T. parthenium flosculosum) without ray
florets.
Migraine treatment
Both above mentioned studies produced significant results. The London study
featured a double-blind preliminary effort with 17 participants, all of
whom were already feverfew users. The nine participants who received
placebos all experienced significant increases in the frequency and
severity of headaches, nausea, and vomiting. The Nottingham study was a
randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover study with more
participants and of longer duration (nearly a year). Participants (59
completed the study) consumed capsules of dried leaves (0.66% parthenolide)
which weighed 40-114 mg., an amount approximately equivalent to two dried
leaves. The consumption of feverfew resulted in decreases in the frequency
and severity of migraines the duration of the attacks, however, remained
unaffected. Roughly 70% of the participants showed improvement. This
compares very well with claims that only 50% of migraine sufferers benefit
from pharmaceuticals. Within the last decade feverfew has been indelibly
linked with migraine abolishment or amelioration. It will, no doubt,
eventually gain a solid reputation for this as regulatory agencies put in
place mechanisms to assure the quality of phytomedicinals, like feverfew,
which have proven to be efficacious. The evidence for this therapeutic
claim comes primarily from investigations done in the last decade in
Britain where feverfew long ago became a mainstay of traditional folk
medicine.
Bioactive agent
The proof that parthenolide is the principal bioactive agent in feverfew is
still scant. However, no feverfew product without parthenolide content has
been shown to be effective in ameliorating migraine. Parthenolide has been
found to reduce degranulation and the subsequent release of serotonin
(5-HT, a neurotransmitter and vasoactive amine) from platelets. As
serotonin release is thought to precipitate attacks due to cerebrovascular
spasm, parthenolide has been accepted as feverfew's main pharmacological
agent. However, many other compounds have been discovered in T. parthenium.
These include tanetin (a lipophilic flavonol), centaureidin, quercetagetin,
apigenin, luteolin, and other bioflavonoids, some of which have been shown
to have anti-inflammatory effects. As with ginkgo biloba and other
phytomedicinals, feverfew's chemical composition is complex, and as the
etiology of migraine is only poorly understood, it will be left to future
research to explain feverfew's capacity to reduce migraine attacks.
Cultivated vs. wild feverfew
Contrary to reports in some popular health magazines, there is no evidence
that wild-crafted feverfew contains more parthenolide than cultivated
feverfew. Interestingly, the head florets contain as much as four times the
amount of parthenolide as the leaf the florets, however, have never been
used as material in clinical trials. Lastly, some manufacturers claim that
either the leaf material must be consumed fresh or the extract produced
must be freeze dried. They suggest that ordinary air drying renders the
leaf useless. The fact that the material used in the Nottingham study was
air dried casts doubt on this concern. True, prolonged storage under
ordinary conditions does lead to significant parthenolide loss. People who
buy feverfew in bulk may want to refrigerate it.
Long term use
Now a word about VRP's Feverfew Extract and its use. The long term effect
of prolonged feverfew consumption is still unknown. For this reason
pregnant women, small children, and nursing mothers should not use
feverfew. In the London study of long-term users, approximately 12% of the
participants developed minor ulcerations of the mouth. They chewed doses of
the leaf regularly for at least three months before the trial. Therefore,
it seems reasonable to curtail use after this period. Mouth ulceration may
be a systemic effect and not due to contact dermatitis as consumption of
encapsulated product did not reduce incidence of minor ulcerations.
Canada's HPB (Health Protection Branch) has advised people to continue
consumption after four months only with the approval of their physician.
VRP is aware of the research discussed above and the presence of many
valueless feverfew products on the market. In response to this we have
formulated a product meeting Canada's HPB requirements. Our product, a 4:1
extract, has tested at 0.28% parthenolide by HPLC (high pressure liquid
chromatography) and is formulated to provide at least 250 micrograms of
parthenolide per dose. According to the research, one capsule per day
should be sufficient for migraine prophylaxis. Take only on advisement of a
physician.
Copyright © Vitamin Research Products, Inc.
Developed by: Robert Charpentier & Hank Cateora
Merry
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article first appeared in the
July, 1996
issue of VRP's Nutritional News
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin Research Products, Inc.
3579 Hwy. 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701
1-702-884-1300, fax 1-702-884-1331
1-800-877-2447, fax 1-800-877-3292
VRP's HomePage www.vrp.com
email: mail@vrp.com
Disclaimer: This information may be copied and distributed freely as long
as all text remains intact, unchanged and with Vitamin Research Products,
Inc. listed as source. Commercial use or commercial distribution may not
occur without the express written permission of Vitamin Research Products,
Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
No information in this article should be taken as a recommendation. If you
have any questions about the relationship between feverfew and your health,
seek the advice of a qualified physician.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feverfew: Herb of Many Misconceptions
Al Adrian
What follows is a brief discussion of some historical, botanical, and
pharmacological aspects of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) as well as some
of the misconceptions about it.
Medicinal history
Tanacetum refers to a genus of the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. This is
the family of plants characterized by such well known species as thistles,
dahlias, goldenrods, daisies, and sunflowers. With over 19,000 species
growing worldwide, members of the Composite family are found in virtually
all terrestrial habitats. Originating in the Balkans and cultivated for
centuries in Europe for ornamental and medicinal purposes, feverfew is now
widely distributed throughout the Americas. Feverfew is commonly found in
waste places and old gardens. It also grows along roadsides and the borders
of woods. In North America it can be found from Quebec to Maryland and west
to Ohio.
Feverfew has had a long history of medicinal use. Steven Foster, one of
America's most eminent herbalists, points out in his excellent monograph on
feverfew that Dioscorides, a first century Greek physician, recommended it
over 1900 years ago. Foster further informs us that feverfew has been used
throughout the world in various cultures in a number of other ways. It has
been used as a carminative (relieves stomach problems-gaseous distention
and flatulence), emmenagogue (substance which promotes menstrual
discharge), tonic, vermifuge (expeller of parasitic worms), and anti
inflammatory agent for arthritis. It has also been used for the treatment
of kidney pain, vertigo, and relief from morning sickness.
Parthenolide content
A strongly aromatic perennial, feverfew bears a daisy-like disc, or head,
of strongly crowded bisexual yellow flowers with a single row of white ray
florets. Two well publicized British studies, one conducted at the City of
London Migraine Clinic in collaboration with Chelsea College, and the other
at Nottingham's University Hospital, used material conforming to this
description. Dried leaf, acquired from the Chelsea Physic Garden with a
parthenolide (a sesquiterpene lactone thought to be the active ingredient)
at a concentration of 0.42%, was used in the London clinical trial.
However, it should be noted that the parthenolide content varies in the
three or four varieties available and that the greatest percentage of
parthenolide is not to be found in the leaves of the variety chosen for the
British studies but in a form (T. parthenium flosculosum) without ray
florets.
Migraine treatment
Both above mentioned studies produced significant results. The London study
featured a double-blind preliminary effort with 17 participants, all of
whom were already feverfew users. The nine participants who received
placebos all experienced significant increases in the frequency and
severity of headaches, nausea, and vomiting. The Nottingham study was a
randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover study with more
participants and of longer duration (nearly a year). Participants (59
completed the study) consumed capsules of dried leaves (0.66% parthenolide)
which weighed 40-114 mg., an amount approximately equivalent to two dried
leaves. The consumption of feverfew resulted in decreases in the frequency
and severity of migraines the duration of the attacks, however, remained
unaffected. Roughly 70% of the participants showed improvement. This
compares very well with claims that only 50% of migraine sufferers benefit
from pharmaceuticals. Within the last decade feverfew has been indelibly
linked with migraine abolishment or amelioration. It will, no doubt,
eventually gain a solid reputation for this as regulatory agencies put in
place mechanisms to assure the quality of phytomedicinals, like feverfew,
which have proven to be efficacious. The evidence for this therapeutic
claim comes primarily from investigations done in the last decade in
Britain where feverfew long ago became a mainstay of traditional folk
medicine.
Bioactive agent
The proof that parthenolide is the principal bioactive agent in feverfew is
still scant. However, no feverfew product without parthenolide content has
been shown to be effective in ameliorating migraine. Parthenolide has been
found to reduce degranulation and the subsequent release of serotonin
(5-HT, a neurotransmitter and vasoactive amine) from platelets. As
serotonin release is thought to precipitate attacks due to cerebrovascular
spasm, parthenolide has been accepted as feverfew's main pharmacological
agent. However, many other compounds have been discovered in T. parthenium.
These include tanetin (a lipophilic flavonol), centaureidin, quercetagetin,
apigenin, luteolin, and other bioflavonoids, some of which have been shown
to have anti-inflammatory effects. As with ginkgo biloba and other
phytomedicinals, feverfew's chemical composition is complex, and as the
etiology of migraine is only poorly understood, it will be left to future
research to explain feverfew's capacity to reduce migraine attacks.
Cultivated vs. wild feverfew
Contrary to reports in some popular health magazines, there is no evidence
that wild-crafted feverfew contains more parthenolide than cultivated
feverfew. Interestingly, the head florets contain as much as four times the
amount of parthenolide as the leaf the florets, however, have never been
used as material in clinical trials. Lastly, some manufacturers claim that
either the leaf material must be consumed fresh or the extract produced
must be freeze dried. They suggest that ordinary air drying renders the
leaf useless. The fact that the material used in the Nottingham study was
air dried casts doubt on this concern. True, prolonged storage under
ordinary conditions does lead to significant parthenolide loss. People who
buy feverfew in bulk may want to refrigerate it.
Long term use
Now a word about VRP's Feverfew Extract and its use. The long term effect
of prolonged feverfew consumption is still unknown. For this reason
pregnant women, small children, and nursing mothers should not use
feverfew. In the London study of long-term users, approximately 12% of the
participants developed minor ulcerations of the mouth. They chewed doses of
the leaf regularly for at least three months before the trial. Therefore,
it seems reasonable to curtail use after this period. Mouth ulceration may
be a systemic effect and not due to contact dermatitis as consumption of
encapsulated product did not reduce incidence of minor ulcerations.
Canada's HPB (Health Protection Branch) has advised people to continue
consumption after four months only with the approval of their physician.
VRP is aware of the research discussed above and the presence of many
valueless feverfew products on the market. In response to this we have
formulated a product meeting Canada's HPB requirements. Our product, a 4:1
extract, has tested at 0.28% parthenolide by HPLC (high pressure liquid
chromatography) and is formulated to provide at least 250 micrograms of
parthenolide per dose. According to the research, one capsule per day
should be sufficient for migraine prophylaxis. Take only on advisement of a
physician.
Copyright © Vitamin Research Products, Inc.
Developed by: Robert Charpentier & Hank Cateora
Merry