Feverfew
Energetics:
Bitter, Dry, Warm
Common Names:
Feverfew, Featherfew, Featherfoil, Febrifuge Plant,
Headache plant, Pyrethrum, Wild Quinine
Latin Name:
Tanacetum parthenium
Family Name:
Asteraceae - Aster / Sunflower family
Functions:
Analgesic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antispasmodic,
anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, bitter, carminative,
diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, nervine, stimulant,
tonic
TCM Functions:
- Circulates lower burner Qi and harmonizes
menstruation
* painful cramps, PMS, swollen breasts, scanty or delayed periods with clots - Expels cold damp and relieves pain
* neuralgia, sciatica, fibromyalgia, migraines, seizures - Expels damp and stops discharge
* head damp cold: nasal congestion, runny nose, frontal headache
* stomach damp: indigestion, flatulence, epigastria pain
* lung phlegm damp: coughing, expectoration of sputum, chest pain
Therapeutics:
Used for arthritis, colic, dysmenorrhea, fever, flatulence,
headache, migraine, pain, vertigo, and vomiting.
Notes:
Feverfew can be a woman's best friend when plant medicine
is called for to relieve premenstrual tension and painful
cramps in the lower abdomen. Feverfew expels cold and damp,
making it a valuable remedy for pain due to obstruction in
the channels.
Tradition:
The name Feverfew is from the Latin word, febrifuga,
meaning `to lower fevers'. The genus name, Tanacetum, is
derived from anthanasis, meaning 'immortal', as the flowers
are long lasting. Nicholas Culpeper in The English
Physitian (1653) wrote; "a general strengthener of [the]
womb... it cleanseth the womb, expelleth the after-birth
and doth the woman all good she can desire of a herb."
Contraindications:
Avoid in cases of Allergic Hypersensitivity
to plants in the Asteraceae family. Avoid during early
pregnancy due to its emmenagogue effect.
Avoid use in conjunction with blood thinning medications,
bleeding disorders, and surgery.