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Related Experiment Videos

Feverfew for preventing migraine.

M H Pittler1, E Ernst

  • 1Department of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter, Devon, UK, EX2 4NT.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|February 20, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) extract shows mixed results for migraine prevention. Current evidence from randomized controlled trials is insufficient to prove its efficacy over placebo, though it appears safe.

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Area of Science:

  • Herbal medicine
  • Neurology
  • Clinical pharmacology

Background:

  • Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L.) extract is a widely recognized herbal remedy.
  • It is traditionally used for the prophylactic management of migraine attacks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a systematic review of double-blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of feverfew extract compared to placebo in migraine prevention.

Main Methods:

  • Searched multiple databases including Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and AMED for relevant RCTs.
  • Included randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials with clinical outcome measures; excluded trials focusing solely on physiological parameters.
  • Systematically extracted data and evaluated methodological quality using the Jadad scoring system.

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Main Results:

  • Five trials involving 343 patients met the inclusion criteria.
  • The results were heterogeneous, failing to provide convincing evidence for feverfew's efficacy in preventing migraines.
  • Reported adverse events were generally mild and transient.

Conclusions:

  • Insufficient evidence exists from high-quality RCTs to support feverfew's effectiveness beyond placebo for migraine prevention.
  • The reviewed data suggest that feverfew does not pose significant safety concerns.