Feverfew

Overview

Feverfew is a native of the Eurasia-Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus. By way of introduction, it is adventive in most of Europe and the Mediterranean region, also in North America and Chile in South America. The "medieval aspirin" or "aspirin" of the 18th century was also known as Feverfew.

Vernacular Names

Xiao Bai Ju (Chinese), Altamisa (Spain), Gumusdugme (Turkish), Grande Camomile (French), Bertram (German), Amarella (Italy), Moederkruid (Netherlands). 

Agroecology

Feverfew occurs along roadsides, stream banks, disturbed sites, waste areas, urban sites, and also 10-2,500 m altitude walls in mountain scrub, rocky hills, fields, grassland, river beds, forest edges, A kind of cool climate that thrives in full sun or shade (40-80 percent ). On average, easily grown, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Wet, humusous soils with good drainage are preferred. Plants are typically short-lived, but by self-seeding, they can usually remain in the greenhouse.

Morphology

• Roots - fibrous.
• Stems - up to 70 cm high erect with various rootstock branches of the puberulous, grooved, terete stem.
• Leaves - alternate, radical or cauline, glandular puncture on both surfaces, green lime, glabrous on 2.5-8 cm long petioles; smaller and sessile to subsessile upper leaves.
• Flowers - female, with oblong, obtusely-3- lobed white ligules. Disc florets, numerous, yellow, tubular-infundibuliform with 5- toothed corolla tube, the ovary of 2 fused carpels, stamens 5.

Cultivation

• It is propagated by seeds, by division of roots and by cuttings.
• Cuttings should be made from the young shoots starting from the base of the plant and should be taken from the old plant with an attached foot, which will greatly assist their rooting.
• To propagate by division, lift the plants. Lift the plants to reproduce by division while the roots are in an active state, and break them into 3 or 5 reasonably wide sections with a sharp spade. 

Chemical Constituents

Tanetin, melatonin, flavonoid, alpha-pinene, parthenolide, camphor, germacrene-D, camphene, (E)-sesquilavandulol, (E)-myrtanol.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Feverfew, as its name indicates, is used to lower temperatures and cool the body.
• As a migraine preventive agent, it is used in small quantities. It is important to take it regularly and at the first sign of an attack. It is helpful for migraines associated with menstruation and for headaches.
• It has been used for the treatment of arthritis, asthma, constipation, dermatitis, pain in the ear, fever, inflammatory disorders, bites of insects, labour, probable miscarriage, psoriasis, spasms, stomach ache, swelling, tinnitus, toothache, vertigo, and worms.
• As an abortifacient and for treating coughs and colds, Feverfew has also been used.
• Ever since Roman times, the herb has been used to induce menstruation. It is also given to promote the placenta's expulsion during childbirth.
• The herb can help with arthritic and rheumatic pain especially with other herbs.