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Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
Ezekiel 47:12 "And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine."
Nicknames: Feverfew; Featherfoil(middle ages)[3]
Plant Family: Asteraceae
Ethnobotany: Feverfew is used outside of medicine as well, in food recipes, liqueurs, and perfumes[3] Entrepaneurs, keep this in mind, as you can make your own DIY perfumes to sell online. The Ancient Greeks used it for rheumatism, menstrual discomfort, headaches, and hysteria.[3]
Natural Habitat: Southeast Europe;[3] Today it is grown in North America, Australia, etc.[3] It requires well drained soil, add sand(dilute).[3]
Mixes well with: Echinacea
OG Observations: When I go to pull information about these herbal remedies from books, and then I compare what I find in books, with what the academic sources are saying, I discover that these plants are good for far more than what people commonly know about. Feverfew for example, isn't commonly known for being anti-cancer, but studies show that it is.[6] In fact, every time I go to read about a specimen from the scholarly sources, it always proves that these herbal remedies not only work, but have far more potential applications in medicine than even the primitive cultures had realized or figured out.
What is Phytochemistry? What are Phytochemicals? Phytochemicals are like pills made by God, except their not pills at all. When phytochemist isolate them from the rest of the plant material and its components, we call them "isolates". An isolate is a pure phytochemical that was pulled out of organic plant material, and isolated. Isolates are drugs, or medicine. They're what give a plant its medicinal qualities. Popular phytochemicals include: CBD, THC, Caffeine, Morphine, Melatonin, Nicotine, etc.
Phytochemicals: The Feverfew herb produces and contains: parthenolide,[3][4] camphor[4], parthenolide[4], luteolin[4], and apigenin.[4] Camphor has aromatic properties, while luteolin and apigenin are flavonoids.[4] Camphor crystals can be purchased online, and are cool too. They're often burned as incense, or used in aromatherapy applciations. Parthenolide is believed to be the main active component of this plant, and has the following medicial properties: anti-migraine, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory.[6] Fevefew has been studied for its anti-oxidant properties, induced by mostly the phenolic compounds present in the plant matter.[8] The essential oil has been studied with positive results for its anti-microbial properties.[9] It has been studied for its efficacy in treating migrain headaches.[10]
Pharmacological / Medicinal Properties: "Scientific studies show that the herb Feverfew can reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches", says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D. professor of Pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.[1] I cite his Pharmacognosy book a lot on this website actually. There's a picture of it on my Instagram. Anyway, the parthenolide produced in the plant(its active ingredient) inhibits the brain chemicals that dilate blood vessels and cause a migraine in the first place, he explains.[1] It's also believed that it inhibits the release of serotonin and prostaglandin, hormones that may trigger migraines.[1] Feverfew is a well known herbal remedy not only for preventing and treating headaches, including migraines, but also for cluster headaches, and premenstrual headaches.[3] It's used to combat inflammation and pain associated with arthritis, as a sort of natural herbal alternative to aspirin.[3] [Quick side note: Other plants that can be used as alternatives to aspirin include: White Willow Bark, Yarrow, and Filipendula ulmaria[7] that I know of. They too produce salicylic acid, which is the main precursor used to mass produce aspirin.[7] ] The best part is you can grow a lifetime supply yourself. It's also believed to be an antihistamine and good for stroke prevention.[3] It's an Antiproliferative;[6]
Anti-cancer: More miraculous discoveries made by phytochemist in terms of cancer treatments! "Feverfew ethanolic extract inhibited the growth of all three types of cancer cells"[6] All of the components were tested, and one had the most impressive pharmacology.. "Among the tested constituents of feverfew (i.e., parthenolide, camphor, luteolin, and apigenin), parthenolide showed the highest inhibitory effect against the three types of cancer cells"[6] All of the components were tested for their synergy(entourage effect), and the conclusion was: "The results revealed that apigenin and luteolin might have moderate to weak synergistic effects with parthenolide on the inhibition of cancer cell growth"[6]
Warnings: It should not be used by pregnant women.[3]
Related Ethnobotanicals: Strawberry(Fragaria ananassa), Spikenard(Aralia racemosa), Rizqo baqi kratom indonesia free shipping, Kava Kava(Piper methysticum), Kola Nut(Cola nitida), Tobacco, Frankincense(Boswelia), Olmedioperebea sclerophylla, Cowage(Mucuna pruriens), Lemon Balm(Melissa officinalis), Opium Poppy(Papaver somniferum), Argyreia nervosa
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Academic citations:
[4] Wu C, Chen F, Wang X, Kim HJ, He Gq, Haley-Zitlin V, Huang G (May 2006). "Antioxidant constituents in feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) extract and their chromatographic quantification". Food Chemistry. 96 (2): 220–227. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.02.024.
[5] Wu, Changqing, et al. "Antiproliferative activities of parthenolide and golden feverfew extract against three human cancer cell lines." Journal of Medicinal Food 9.1 (2006): 55-61.
[6] Wu, Changqing, et al. "Antiproliferative activities of parthenolide and golden feverfew extract against three human cancer cell lines." Journal of Medicinal Food 9.1 (2006): 55-61.
[8] Wu, Changqing, et al. "Identification of antioxidant phenolic compounds in feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) by HPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS and NMR." Phytochemical Analysis: An International Journal of Plant Chemical and Biochemical Techniques 18.5 (2007): 401-410.
[9] Izadi, Zahra, et al. "Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) essential oil." (2010): 759-763.
[10] Pfaffenrath, V., et al. "The efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis—a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response study." Cephalalgia 22.7 (2002): 523-532.
[1] Gottlieb, Bill. New Choices in Natural Healing. Rodale Books, 22 July 1999.
[3] Swerdlow, Joel L. Nature’s Medicine : Plants That Heal. Washington, D.C., National Geographic Society, 2000.
[7] Robbers, James E, et al. Pharmacognosy and Pharmacobiotechnology. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1996.
Encyclopedia Sources:
[2] Wikipedia contributors, "Tanacetum parthenium," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanacetum_parthenium (accessed December 13, 2024).
Other resources:
M.A.P.S. Ethnobotanical Studies By Scholars
PubChem - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Neurosoup.com on the WaybackMachine