Feverfew is a pretty , cheery blossom that has some fantabulous medicinal benefits . From preventing megrim to helping with menstrual problem , this herb is a wonderful addition to any herbal garden . Here ’s how to grow , harvest , and apply the feverfew plant .

Perhaps , like me , you were wandering around your garden one day when you saw acheery mass of white - petaled , yellow - centred flowersstanding about two feet high-pitched in the garden . Looking a little number like chamomile , but as you get closer and give it a odour , yikes !

It does n’t have that fresh apple olfactory sensation that chamomile has but instead resembles something more like adirty sock . It ’s feverfew !

Feverfew blooming in a garden bed.

Feverfew doesn’t have the best smell, but its beauty and herbal properties make up for it.

Feverfew is such a pretty flower and it always has a welcome home in my garden . I do n’t engraft it because , in these part , it ’s awild medicative industrial plant that come out up easilyeach yr without much intellection .

It ’s a good affair because feverfew is n’t just pretty ; it has some marvelous properties . It ’s most famous for being used as anongoing discussion to reduce the severity and number of migraine attacksin some sufferer . But in summation , it also provides a calming relief to tensity and arthritis .

There ’s a lovely cultivar call white stars that has plenty of double whitened flowers on shorter seven - inch plants . This extremely attractive Chrysanthemum parthenium is a great swing flower in arrangement , dries well for dried bloom arrangements , and wait great in containers or at the front of the garden .

Basket filled with feverfew, white flowers that have a yellow center

permit ’s dive into feverfew !

LoriAnn’s Green Blessings

This article was critique by herbalistLoriAnn Bird . This is not to be used as personal medical advice ; always consult your healthcare professional for individual vexation .

Here ’s what LoriAnn has to say about feverfew :

“ Feverfew has so many medicative benefits and is easy to spring up . I like making alcohol tinctures as alcohol extracts chemical substance components that are not pull with water supply .

Feverfew in basket

grant to Bartram ’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine , prepare fresh leaves within 2 hours of harvesting , 1 part pulp to 5 percentage ( 45 % proof alcoholic beverage ) , and allow pose for 7 days . Filter . Dose 5 - 20 drop cloth every 2 hours for knifelike status and 3x daily for chronic conditions .

mention : Feverfewmay suppress the ancestry platelet activitythat plays a purpose in coagulation , bear upon blood - cutting medicament . ”

History of Feverfew

Throughout account , feverfew has beentraditionally used to treat migraines , arthritis , and catamenial and labour pain . Today , feverfew can be found throughout Europe , Australia , and North America , but it was earlier found in southeast Europe .

Since Tanacetum parthenium has had so many name throughout story , it can be laborious to find it listed in old texts . One herb that is believe to be feverfew is parthenion . The name , derived from the Greek Holy Writ for maidenly , was often associated as a woman ’s herb and was most often used to treat uterine problems . However , there are at least three herbs that were referred to as parthenion ! Feverfew is potential one of them .

The herb parthenium is also suspect to be feverfew . As the report goes , it was once used to save the life of a slave who had fallen from the Parthenon , Athena ’s notable synagogue , during its construction in the fifth century BC .

Bouquet of feverfew with lavender by a windowsill.

In the first century , Greeks begin using the herbaceous plant as an febrifuge , a medicinal drug used to reduce fevers . During the 18thcentury , feverfew catch its byname as the mediaeval aspirin .

Although it did not arrive until the mid-19th one C , it also had many function in the Americas . The hoi polloi in Costa Rica used the herbaceous plant as a digestion care , a cardiotonic to help the heart , and as an clyster for insect . Costa Ricans and Mexicans were both know to use the herbaceous plant to help regulate flow . Feverfew has long been a herculean financial aid for women !

Feverfew Benefits

While its name and history may suggest it is a febricity relief , it actually is not very effective in reducing fevers . That being say , feverfew benefits are legion . Here are a few ways to expend this herbal remedy .

Feverfew for Migraines

Ever since the 1970 ’s , feverfew has been a democratic choice for megrim and worry . Studies show that not only does feverfewreduce the severity of migraines , but it also helps to reduce the frequency when taken regularly . It also can assist to remove sickness that is link up with migraine .

However , it isbest used as a bar toolrather than as an on - the - spot cure for worry .

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

The ability to avail migraines comes from its anti - inflammatory prop . This mean it has also beenused to help oneself the midriff , attend to with issue such as :

Feverfew Benefits for Menstrual Issues

As its history suggests , feverfew is alsoextremely beneficial for menstrual issues . It can aid to regulate a bike , helping with insufficiency , scanty periods , and delays , as well as clots and excess . It can also be used to help oneself relieve menstrual botheration and muscle spasm .

How to Grow Feverfew

Feverfew ( Tannacetum parthenium ) belong to the daisy family Asteraceae . It is sometimes called ‘ feverfew ’ because of its feathery parting . Keeping reproducible with its history , it has many other name like featherfoil , mid - summertime daisy , flirtwort , or wild chamomile . It commonly grows along roadside and in gardens and is often confuse for German chamomile .

botanic name : Tanacetum parthenium

Family name : Asteraceae

feverfew, white flowers with yellow centers, next to a bottle of essential oils.

USDA Zone:5 to 9

Height:18 to 24 inch

Spacing:15 to 18 inch

A clump of feverfew flowers

Light Within : Full sun

Water : Average water system needs : pee on a regular basis and do not overwater .

word of advice : May be a noxious weed or trespassing in some country .

feverfew with aphids

Feverfew is a perennial and attractive landscape painting flower . It has a strong , herbaceous odor and white prime with sensationalistic center . It is best to start this industrial plant in late wintertime and flora former spring . Set 15 to 18 inch asunder in all directions .

Feverfew Companion Planting

Because it repels bugs , it grows well alongsidemintand other tea plants and in beds where bugs are not wanted . This louse repellent ability makes it a great option for growing near threshold .

However , you want to be measured about what plant are growing nearby . Feverfew will repel bees and butterflieswhich may be take as a pollinator for some of your plants .

How to Maintain the Plant

For upkeep , considerdeadheading the spent blooms . This will advance more blossom and will prevent excessive self - seeding .

Six - month - former , well - root plants may tolerate frost well and wintertime temperatures to -20F ( -29C).Most plant die in their second or third summerafter hard bloom . In early outflow , after plant emerge from winter , mulch with plenteous compost .

How to Harvest, Dry & Store Feverfew

While all parts of the industrial plant can be used in medicine , the leaves are most commonly used in commercial products . Like most herb , fresh is always better . However , I know we ca n’t always have fresh herbs at our disposal so it is authoritative toproperly dry and salt away our herbsfor the moth-eaten seasons .

It is best toharvest feverfew correctly before blossoming or during flowering . The dark before you intend to harvest , softly hose down the blossom . This will help clean the works , particularly if they haveattracted aphid . Gather mid - morning when the flowers are still full , but there is still an abundance of greenery . write out no more than ⅓ of the plant so it does n’t die .

good wash the Tanacetum parthenium again , then attach in a megabucks and hang to dry out in a warm , dark domain . Or , layout on a dehydrator tray to dry until crispy . To store your Tanacetum parthenium , put in in an airtight container in a gloomy elbow room out of verbatim sunlight .

Drying a bouquet of feverfew flowers.

Feverfew Recipes

Feverfew has a variety of properties that make it a great addition to yourherbal remedy cabinet . Whether combined with other herbaceous plant for headache management or using it alone to endure the body , it is an effective herb .

There are some precautions that go along with feverfew . Some herbalists have varying opinions , however , it is best to practice caution . Consult with your main care supplier and experient herbalist before using Chrysanthemum parthenium to ensure it ’s a near fit for you .

That being said , there are a telephone number of ways to enjoy the benefits of Tanacetum parthenium , and none are complicated . Rosemary Gladstar suggests , “ Some people find that eat a fresh leaf or two straight off from the garden helps to forbid migraines . ”

Feverfew tea with dried lavender for headaches

That quote , plus the advice that it is most effective when taken over one to three months for a preventative standard , come fromRosemary Gladstar ’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health . Rosemary also recommends combining feverfew with lavender and other nervine herb . Read more about lavender here .

See the recipe card at the bottom of the berth to larn how to make a headache tea and a bruised peel compass with harvested feverfew flora .

FAQ About Using Feverfew

Feverfew may also be referred to as featherfoil , mid - summertime daisy , flirtwort , and tempestuous Chamaemelum nobilis .

No , but they do depend like . The best way to tell the conflict is by looking at the leave . Chamomilehas feathery , fluffy leave . Meanwhile , feverfew leave of absence are wider and look more like parsley . Another promiscuous identifier is feel . Chamomile bloom smell like apples while feverfew has an unpleasant scent that is more herby and almost smells like a dirty sock .

Yes ! Most who take it for concern relief do so day by day , either as a tone or a tea . Feverfew work well at preventing headaches rather than cease them . As a tincture , the recommended dosage is 2 - 4 ml at 1:4 strength . Feverfew is moot a intermediate - strength herb , and retentive - term use in high dose should be avoid .

Feverfew tea with dried lavender for headaches

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