A nurse is reviewing the laboratory data of a client who is taking the herbal supplement feverfew

What Is Feverfew and How Does It Work?

Feverfew suggested uses include prevention and control of migraine, allergies, arthritis, fevers, headaches, menstrual irregularities, psoriasis, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), spinning sensation (vertigo), and cancer.

Feverfew is demonstrated effective to decrease severity/frequency of migraines.

Feverfew is not established for rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions (higher doses may be necessary).

Feverfew is available under the following different brand and other names: altamisa, bachelor button, camomille grande, Chrysanthemum parthenium, featherfew, featherfoil, flirtwort midsummer daisy, midsummer daisy, Santa Maria, and Tanacetum parthenium.

Dosages of Feverfew

Suggested Dosing

Migraine, Prophylaxis

Extract

Fresh leaf

Freeze-dried leaf

50-150 mg orally once or twice daily

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows:

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De Weerdt CJ, Bootsma HPR, Hendriks H. Herbal Medicines in migraine prevention. Randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover trial of a feverfew preparation. Phytomedicine. 1996;3:22-230.

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Henneicke-von Zepelin HH. Feverfew for migraine prophylaxis. Headache. 2006;46(3):531

Johnson ES, Kadam NP, Hylands DM, Hylands PJ. Efficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraine. Br Med J. 1985;291:569-573.

Lesiak K, Koprowska K, Zalesna I, Nejc D, Düchler M, Czyz M. Parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone from the medical herb feverfew, shows anticancer activity against human melanoma cells in vitro. Melanoma Res. 2010 Feb;20(1):21-34.

Maizels M, Blumenfeld A, Burchette R. A combination of riboflavin, magnesium, and feverfew for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial. Headache. 2004;44(9):885-90.

Martin K, et al. Parthenolide-depleted Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) protects skin from UV irradiation and external aggression. Arch Dermatol Res. 2008;300(2):69-80.

Miller L. Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158(20):2200-2211.

Murphy JJ, Heptinstall S, Mitchell JR. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine prevention. Lancet. 1988;2:189-192.

Palevitch D, Earon G, Carasso R. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) as a prophylactic treatment for migraine: a double-blind controlled study. Phytotherapy Res. 1997;11:508-511.

Pareek A, Suthar M, Rathore GS, Bansal V. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.): A systematic review. Pharmacogn Rev. 2011 Jan;5(9):103-10. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.79105.

Pattrick M, Heptinstall S, Doherty M. Feverfew in rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind, placebo controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis. 1989;48:547-549.

Pfaffenrath V, Diener HC, Fischer M, et al. The efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis--a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response study. Cephalalgia. 2002;22(7):523-532.

Pittler MH, Vogler BK, Ernst E. Feverfew for preventing migraine. [Review] Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2000;(3):CD002286.

Rodriguez KJ, Wong HK, Oddos T, Southall M, Frei B, Kaur S. A purified feverfew extract protects from oxidative damage by inducing DNA repair in skin cells via a P13-kinase-dependent Nrf2/ARE pathway. J Dermatol Sci. 2013;72(3):304-10.

Schiapparelli P, Allais G, Castagnoli Gabellari I, Rolando S, Terzi MG, Benedetto C. Non-pharmacological approach to migraine prophylaxis: part II. Neurol Sci. 2010 Jun;31 Suppl 1:S137-9. Review.

Shrivastava R, Pechadre JC, John GW. Tanacetum parthenium and Salix alba (Mig-RL) combination in migraine prophylaxis: a prospective, open-label study. Clin Drug Investig. 2006;26(5):287-96.

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Wu C, Chen F, Rushing JW, Wang X, Kim HJ, Huang G, Haley-Zitlin V, He G. Antiproliferative activities of parthenolide and golden feverfew extract against three human cancer cell lines. J Med Food. 2006;9(1):55-61.

Yao M, Ritchie HE, Brown-Woodman. A reproductive screening test of feverfew: is a full reproductive study warranted? Reprod Toxicol. 2006;22(4):688-93.

Zhang S, Lin ZN, Yang CF, Shi X, Ong CN, Shen HM. Suppressed NF-kappaB and sustained JNK activation contribute to the sensitization effect of parthenolide to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in human cancer cells. Carcinogenesis. 2004;25(11):2191-9.

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