Feverfew

A member of the same family as camomile, feverfew bears similar clusters of daisy-like flowers throughout the summer. It is also known as featherfew or febrifuge. The name is thought to come from the Latin ‘febris’ meaning fever and ‘fugure’ meaning to drive away. Feverfew is native to Anatolia in Turkey. In the middle ages it was thought to purify the air. It has been used for headaches since the 17th Century when the famous herbalist Nicholas Culpepper wrote “It is very effectual for all pains in the head.” Feverfew is now used for the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches caused by the dilation or contraction of blood vessels if taken regularly over a period of a few months.