Does Feverfew Work?

Feverfew is a time-honored herbal remedy, best known for its use as a modern holistic prevention for migraines. If you are interested in using feverfew for medicinal purposes, you may ask yourself, "Does feverfew work?"

Depending on your own reason for taking feverfew, it may work very well or it may fail miserably. Here's a quick run-down of the evidence supporting feverfew's most common uses.

What Feverfew Probably Works For

Feverfew is an evidence-based method for preventing migraine headaches, and the governments of Canada and Germany approve of its use in this capacity. The bulk of available scientific evidence suggests that standardized feverfew products can reduce the frequency of migraine headaches. When migraines do occur in people taking feverfew, they tend to be less painful and to cause fewer related symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and light sensitivity. None of feverfew's other uses are completely supported by modern science.

What Feverfew Might Work For

Feverfew may help to treat fever, menstrual problems, arthritis, skin disease, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, vertigo, earache, cancer, the common cold, herpes, asthma or allergies. However, these uses are based almost entirely in tradition, and not in well-designed scientific evidence. Only a few small-scale studies have investigated feverfew's efficacy for treating these conditions, and they did not yield conclusive results.

What Feverfew Doesn't Work For

Some of feverfew's uses are outdated and disproven. Although used historically to treat arthritis, feverfew failed to relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, in several well-designed studies. Feverfew's efficacy as a treatment for RA is similar to placebo, so health care providers do not regard it as an effective treatment. Consult your health care provider before using feverfew to treat any medical condition.