Anybody use Feverfew?

[wyld thang]

Does anyone use feverfew(the herb) for headaches? I have it growing wild all over my yard. I mean harvesting the actual thing, not taking a pill form the store.

[mistletoad]

It tastes nasty! lol
I tried it years ago for migraines - made it into a sandwich just like my mother told me to - I can't remember if it worked or not, but I do remember the taste was revolting.
I still grow it though

[myheaven]

I have never heard of this. I have yarrow all over my property. It works great for headaches but it tastes nasty. What I do is take my green tea pills emty the green tea and stuff yarrow in it and voila no taste good for you meds. and later on I make a tea from the green tea no waste.

[katydidagain]

Yes, I use it fresh. I get the "toss your cookies" type migraines occasionally and cannot take pills. I chew 1 or 2 leaves (max), spit them out and it's gone in 30 minutes. Monks once used feverfew as a salad green; comfrey has also been "overeaten", too. Like many herbs, these are toxic in large quantities.

[wyld thang]

Thanks y'all!! that sandwich sounds interesting!!

[dale]

I tried it but it did not work for me though.
Heard of many that it did work for..
I just take prescription stuff now.
dale

[SouthWesteader]

I take it anytime I have a headache, and it works.

[kesoaps]

Clinical studies have shown that feverfew will work on migraines, which is great! But as some have mentioned, it has an offensive flavor.

Some people will make it into a tea (sweetened with stevia, perhaps?), or fry the leaves and use them in food or sandwhiches. Not sure why fried, maybe the taste is better? I've never used it myself, but do have a few plants. Guess I ought to dry some of those leaves to keep on hand...

[Pony]

I have a LOT of something that I think is feverfew growing all around here, and it comes back every year. Thing is, I can't tell for sure if it's feverfew, chamomile, or what-the-heck. Google Images isn't much help, either.

Maybe I can get DH to help me work this digital camera and I can post a pic...

Pony!

[Shadow]

The next door neighbor planted a small herb garden once years ago and after a few days something came up she watched it for a while finally pulled a few leaves , did not reconize the smell curshed the leaves in her hands still did not reconize the smell, tried tasting them still did not know what she had. But the next day the doctors at the hospital said it was cow itch. Spent two days there. As a side note she never grew herbs out in the yard again.
most people are not really alergic to cow itch but most people dont chew it.

[culpeper]

Feverfew:

Description: Short-lived perennial to about 1.5 metres high and about 60cm wide. Feathery leaves, and many small, single or double, white flowers with yellow centres in summer and autumn. An aroma faintly resembling that of Chamomile (apple and cinnamon).

Harvesting: Pick leaves just before the plant flowers, when it is in bud: dry if required for use. Pick the flowers just as they open; dry hanging upside down.

Medicinal Uses: Leaves are used to treat migraine, rheumatism and arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, to prevent blood clots, to reduce high blood pressure, and for some menstrual problems. The tea can also be used externally as a healing wash or to ease the discomfort of insect bites earache and facial pain, or as a mouthwash after a tooth extraction, and also acts as a mild sedative. A tea is taken for tinnitus, irregular periods and to cleanse the uterus after childbirth. Often helps in the treatment of alcoholism (delirium tremens). If heat is helpful in reducing headache pain, feverfew might help. But if cold is helpful, then feverfew probably will not help.

Usual Dosage: Eat 2-3 leaves per day between slices of bread. Or take 1-2 cups of the tea per day, made with 1 heaped teaspoon of dried leaves (2-8 fresh leaves) to 1 cup water.Take cold. Tincture: Take 10-20 drops in water every 3-4 hours.

Warning: Avoid during pregnancy, or when taking anti-clotting medications. When chewing the leaves, it may irritate the mouth, so always eat them between slices of bread to reduce this effect. Flowers are laxative and should be used sparingly. It may inhibit blood-clotting. May cause dermatitis in susceptible people. Flowers are laxative and should be used sparingly. It may inhibit blood-clotting (keep a record that you're taking it in your wallet in case of accident, and tell your dentist before a tooth extraction). Do not use if taking Warfarin or other blood-thinning drugs, including Aspirin.

You can see pix of feverfew here:
http://images.google.com.au/images?q...=Search+Images

[Pony]

THANK YOU, CULPEPER!!!

Pony!

[kesoaps]

Pony, they do tend to look a lot alike, but feverfew smells bad!

[Ole Man Legrand]

Feverfew I used it for prostate problems. I have seen it $12. for a hundred pills to $3. for a hundred pills. At Swanson health products $2.69 plus shiping.www.swansonvitiamins.com Jay

[Goldwave]

I tried this one year. I did the 2-leaves-in-bread method. I didn't notice any effect but my plant seemed wimpy, it didn't have much taste at all even eating a leaf straight.

[Goldwave]

Oh a P.S. I thought I was having migraines during my vegetarian phase but it turned out I was allergic to soy (which was my main protein food obviously) and when I stopped it, I stopped getting those nightmare headaches. Since then have found out that soy, other legumes (beans), and wheat and other grains are all headache-inducing allergens for some people. I saw an interesting a detailed study indicating that soy allergy was high among people of Irish and British descent. You might experiment with your diet to see if that lessens your headaches.