The herb feverfew is also known by the scientific names Chrysanthemum parthenium, Tanacetum parthenium and Matricaria parthenium, and by the common names bachelor's button, wild chamomile and featherfew. It is common in gardens as a sturdy, easy-to-grow annual plant. Feverfew is also used in the kitchen as a culinary ingredient and is sold by natural foods stores as an herbal remedy.
History
Feverfew is native to eastern Europe and is thought to have originated in the Balkan Mountains. This tenacious self-sowing plant has spread throughout the world and can be found in Europe, North America, South American and Australia. Its use as a folk remedy has been popular in Europe for centuries. In the 1980s, a study titled "Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine," published in the "British Journal of Medicine," greatly increased feverfew's popular use as an alternative remedy by British migraine sufferers.
Identification
Feverfew plants are annuals that flower from July through August. They grow to about 2 feet in height and have green alternating leaves with fringed edges. Its flowers resemble compact daisies, with white petals centered around a plump, pale yellow middle. The flowers of feverfew plants grow in dense, flat-topped clusters. Feverfew leaves are aromatic when crushed and have a bitter, acidic taste.
Considerations
Feverfew is easy to grow and pleasing to the eye, thus making it very popular in flower gardens. Another gardening advantage is that the short, shrubby plants can be used as weed-suppressing ground covers.
Feverfew can be grown by starting seeds indoors in spring, then planting them outdoors in early summer after the last frost has passed. Feverfew prefers well-drained soil and can tolerate periods of drought and strong winds. Feverfew self-sows prolifically. Once it has spent a season in your garden, it will usually come up again by itself the following year.
Function
According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, extract made from the feverfew herb has shown effectiveness in decreasing the frequency of migraines. Christopher Hobbs of the National Headache Foundation recommends a 50 mg capsule of freeze-dried feverfew as a starting dose for migraine sufferers.
The culinary applications of feverfew include the use of its dried flowers to flavor pastries and the use of the plant in dishes that benefit from its aromatic, bitter taste. Feverfew tea can also be brewed from the dried flowers.
Dried feverfew flowers can be used in flower arrangements and are also used in repelling insects and creating essential oils for perfume.
Warning
You should always consult your physician before using a plant medicinally.
It is possible to misidentify the feverfew plant. Hobbs says, "It is easy to confuse the medicinal variety of feverfew with chrysanthemum or even other varieties of feverfew---though none of these are toxic, so a mistake would not be injurious."
The National National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine notes, "No serious side effects have been reported for feverfew," but they also advise that pregnant women, people with allergies to members of the daisy family and patients who are using anti-coagulant drugs should not use feverfew.
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