Feverfew lives very happily in my garden. It is so happy that I am constantly pulling out the little seedlings in different parts of the garden. In many ways it’s a common - enough plant with daisy-like flowers, nothing very special. Sitting with Feverfew on a nice, warm, summer’s day in August, I became more aware of it and how this plant holds such strong medicine. It does not have to be showy and boastful and out in the world to be a powerful being.
Feverfew grows about 3 foot tall and has a bushy appearance. It has lovely green – yellow colored leaves that emit a pungent aroma. The white with yellow centered flowers grow in groups and do not appear to attract any bees. It is a perennial that readily reseeds itself enjoying the sun in a well-drained soil. It is native to Southern Europe and was brought to this country by our early colonists.
It has several other names such as: Febrifuge Plant, Wild Quinine and Bachelor’s Button. There are some speculations about its original name. Ancient physicians referred to it by its Greek name, parthenion and it was used for menstrual and childbirth related problems. Later it was called Featherfoil due to its feathery leafy margins then it became Featherfew and eventually feverfew. Well with a name like that it was probably good for treating fevers! Malaria was a problem in Europe during the Middle Ages and it sounds as if Feverfew took a lot of the credit
for treating the fevers caused by Malaria until it became obvious that it was the cinchona bark brought back from Peru that contained the anti-malarial constituent, quinine that was far superior in the treatment of Malaria. However it is still a great remedy for treating fevers but that is not what it is well known for today.
From about the 1900’s to the 1970’s Feverfew wasn’t popular or used very much until a chance meeting occurred between two people who suffered from migraine headaches. The wife of the chief medical officer of Britain’s National Coal Board met a miner on one of her visits with her husband to a coalmine. This miner had heard of her problem and told her that he had been chewing daily on some fresh leaves from the Feverfew plant and had noticed a difference in his headaches.
The woman tried this too and that was the beginning of the revival of Feverfew. She noticed an immediate improvement and 14 months later she was free of headaches. This was brought to the attention of Dr E Stewart Johnson of the City Of London Migraine Clinic. He proceeded to do several tests involving Feverfew. At first he gave the leaves to 10 of his patients. Three were pronounced cured and 7 experienced significant improvement. He then went on to do more advanced testing with patients at his clinic.
The results were extremely amazing. 70% experienced some improvement after eating a number
of leaves every day, while the best drug on the market currently has a 50% cure rate. Feverfew’s success may be due to its ability in slowly reducing smooth muscle spasms, which are implicated in many kinds of migraine. It can also be used in the same way to calm the stomach muscles of the digestive tract and the uterus muscles helping people with digestion or menstrual problems.
While feverfew suppresses migraines it does not cure them but it has been used for the last 20 years with great success. Chewing fresh leaves can be a very bitter experience so be forewarned and it can also cause mouth sores. People who are pregnant or who have blood-clotting disorders should consult a physician.
Phew what an herb!