Feverfew for Migraines

Feverfew has been used for the treatment of headaches for over 2,000 years. Despite its long history of use for headaches, it is only since the early 1980s that interest in the plant has once-again resurfaced.

A 1985 study by Johnson and co-workers at the City of London Migraine Clinic, in collaboration with the Chelsea College of the University of London, took an unusual approach to researching feverfew in the treatment of migraines. Bypassing animal studies, the researchers sought volunteers who already used feverfew regularly for self-medication of migraines.

In this study, the migraine sufferers were split into two groups, one that continued with the herb, and a second that started on a placebo. While the feverfew group experienced no increase in headaches, the placebo group quickly developed more frequent and severe migraines.

Another British study reported a 24% reduction in migraines with feverfew, along with a lessening in intensity for the migraines that did occur.

“Take a daily 100-200 mg dosage of the extract in capsules, which should have a guaranteed concentration of parthenolides, the herb’s active compounds,” says Dr. Atkins in his book Dr Atkins Vita-nutrient Solution. “Don’t be impatient. You may not notice a decrease in the number of migraines for several months.”

Feverfew is contraindicated for children younger than 12 years old, for pregnant and lactating women, and for people with known hypersensitivity to the plant’s constituents.