What is butterbur extract used for?

What is butterbur extract used for?

Butterbur is used for migraine, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and emotional distress caused by extreme focus on a physical symptom (somatic symptom disorder). It is also used for lung and gastrointestinal conditions and irritable bladder, but there is no strong evidence to support these uses.

How does butterbur spread?

It emerges in late winter or early spring, sometimes with clumps of white or pale yellow flowers appearing before the leaves, and can grow up to six feet tall. Japanese butterbur spreads mostly through underground stems, and sometimes through seeds.

What does the plant butterbur look like?

Butterbur certainly has large leaves, reaching 90 cm across. They appear in about March to April, around about the same time the plant produces pale pink to purplish spikes of flowers. The leaves resemble rhubarb leaves, perhaps slightly more heart-shaped.

Is butterbur related to rhubarb?

They resemble rhubarb leaves, but slightly more heart-shaped and grow low, forming dense carpets completely dominating the ground. Butterbur has a rhizome root, so spreads readily in damp ground along rivers and road verges.

Does butterbur help with anxiety?

Butterbur is an herbal supplement used for pain, upset stomach, stomach ulcers, migraine and other headaches, ongoing cough, chills, anxiety, plague, fever, trouble sleeping (insomnia), whooping cough, asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and for irritable bladder and urinary tract spasms.

How long does it take for butterbur to work for allergies?

In a human study , people with allergies that were given butterbur tablets for a week showed significant improvement of their allergy symptoms. After five days of treatment, the participants’ bodies contained smaller amounts of the allergy-producing substances leukotriene and histamines.

Can I grow butterbur?

Common butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is a robust perennial with an erect, spreading growth habit. The plant flowers in the early spring, though it’s primarily grown for its lush foliage. Common butterbur has a fast growth rate and is best planted in the spring after the threat of frost has passed.

How do I identify butterbur?

Identification:

1. Perennial, herbaceous flowering plant grows to 6 feet.
2. Simple, round to heart-shaped leaves are 1-2 feet across, with dense hairs on the underside.
3. Single leaves grown on hollow, ridged, 3-4 foot stems somewhat similar in appearance to rhubarb.

Is butterbur invasive?

White butterbur is an invasive non-native species that is particularly prevalent across the North East of Scotland and causes serious environmental impacts along riparian corridors.

Why is it called butterbur?

Butterbur is a shrub that grows in Europe and parts of Asia and North America. The name, butterbur, is attributed to the traditional use of its large leaves to wrap butter in warm weather.

How much butterbur can you take a day?

Butterbur is given almost exclusively via oral administration. [11] The recommended daily dose is between 50 mg to 150 mg.

Is feverfew and butterbur the same?

Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) Like Feverfew, Butterbur has a centuries old history as a folk remedy for headaches. It is a perennial shrub found in marshy areas of northern Europe and elsewhere. The butterbur root contains compounds which can poison the liver. For safety these need to be removed before use.