The quest for the anti-migraine principle(s) of feverfew, iTanacetum parthenium/i (L.) Schultz Bip.

摘要

Feverfew (T. parthenium) has had a traditional reputation for treating fever, headache, and women's ailments. Only in the 1970s did feverfew gain popularity as a migraine prophylactic. The efficacy of feverfew in reducing the incidence and severity of migraine headache attacks, along with alleviating associated nausea and vomiting, has been established in randomized controlled clinical trials, primarily using whole feverfew leaf; whereas more recently, a supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extract has been shown successful, although only in a small subset of subjects who experienced at least four migraine attacks monthly. The demise of the formerly widely touted anti-migraine mechanism involving the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide has focused attention on other feverfew constituents (including flavonoids and an essential oil constituent, trans-chrysanthenyl acetate) as potential candidates for the mantle of active principle.