This article describes the properties and used for feverfew, an easily-grown herb often used for natural headache relief.

EARTH SENSE: Feverfew
by Sandra I. Smith, M.S.

According to mythology, a Grecian man fell from the Parthenon temple one fine day. Although we aren’t told just how, a little daisy-like flower saved him from death. Today, that simple plant is known officially by some as Chrysanthemum parthenium and by others as Tanacetum parthenium, both names honoring its ancient role. It grows wild, as well as being a welcome addition to many gardens.
Its common name is feverfew. It’s also known as bachelor’s buttons, featherfew, featherfoil, flirtwort, and midsummer daisy. The word feverfew is based on the Latin for fever and flight, because reducing fevers was one the earliest medicinal uses.
Like many herbs, feverfew was a remedy for numerous conditions, including arthritis, colic, depression, dizziness, headaches, intestinal parasites, kidney stones, psoriasis, toothache, and as a uterine stimulant. It’s also an effective insect repellant.
WARNING: Do NOT use feverfew if you are pregnant.
People who are using anti-coagulants (blood-thinners) should avoid feverfew. Those who are sensitive to ragweed may also have an allergic reaction to feverfew. Do not give feverfew to children under the age of two, unless advised by a physician.
As always, if you have any kind of medical condition, please consult your health care professional before consuming any herb, including feverfew. Most herbs have interactions with medicinal drugs and a professional’s advice is needed before combining them.
Although popular with ancient herbalists for its many properties, feverfew fell out of favor until recently. Stories surfaced from time to time indicating that feverfew helped with migraines. These were dismissed as anecdotal until the late 1970s, when British scientists began seriously studying feverfew. Their research revealed that the plant is indeed effective against migraines for up to 80 percent of sufferers. Later studies have confirmed their findings.
Feverfew is generally not effective once the migraine has begun, although it can reduce the nausea and/or pain if taken later. It’s helpful primarily as a preventative, requiring about six to eight weeks to become beneficial. When it doesn’t prevent migraines entirely, it lessens the severity in many cases.
Even if you aren’t a gardener, feverfew is so easy to grow that you can easily keep a pot of it thriving on a kitchen windowsill. It likes well-drained soil, average acidity, and lots of sunshine. You can start it from seed, cuttings, or root division.
If not trimmed back, feverfew can grow up to three feet tall. It has lots of feathery leaves, which have a strong aroma that’s slightly on the bitter side. Come summertime, it produces multitudes of little white flowers with yellow centers. Cut off flowers to keep the plant growing. Leaves may be picked anytime, but just before flowering is best.
Although you can buy feverfew capsules, many people simply pluck fresh leaves from their own plant and chew them. The maximum dosage is no more than three to four leaves a day, as they are very potent. They can create mouth sores in sensitive people, so wrap the leaves in bread or something similar before chewing.
The leaves may also be frozen or dried. Dried leaves lose some of their potency.
Feverfew is often combined with other herbs in easy-to-take tinctures. Common combinations are lavender, skullcap, or valerian, depending on what triggers the migraine.
Make a simple tea by pouring one pint of boiling water over one to two ounces of dried leaves and steep until cool. Sweeten to taste with honey. Drink hot for fevers; drink cold at bedtime for insomnia.
Prepare feverfew as a hot compress and apply directly to the joint if you’re using it to relieve arthritis. It reduces inflammation, but can be more effective than aspirin due to its chemical composition. Feverfew doesn’t cause the stomach upset that aspirin can, and it’s also an anti-depressant, so people just feel better in general when using it.
Powder dried leaves in a blender. The dry powder can be used on the face and skin to repel insects, including mosquitoes. Or dilute feverfew tincture in water and apply to your body to keep biting bugs away. To make an airborne insect repellant, steep leaves in boiling water, in a ratio of one cup leaves to two cups water. Strain out the leaves and use the water as a spray. Be aware that it’s toxic to birds and fish as well as insects, so avoid spraying indiscriminately.
Bees don’t like feverfew, and won’t pollinate any plants in a garden in which it’s growing. On the plus side, feverfew attracts aphids away from roses.
While it may not protect you if you happen to fall off a tall building, and it tastes awful, feverfew has earned its berth in your herbal pharmacopeia for its role in reducing inflammation and pain. A leaf of the “housewife’s aspirin” will serve you well.

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Sandra Smith holds a Master of Science degree in Natural Health. In addition to health-related articles, she writes about a variety of other subjects.