What is it?
An extract of feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, listed on cosmetic labels as Chrysanthemum parthenium. Feverfew is a daisy-family herb with chrysanthemum-like leaves and daisy-like flowers, native to southeastern Europe. It is sold as a dietary supplement and, in the European Union, as a traditional herbal medicine to help prevent migraine. Its best-known compound is parthenolide. In cosmetics the extract is listed as a skin conditioner, sometimes in a form with the parthenolide removed.
Key information
- The European Medicines Agency accepts powdered feverfew as a traditional herbal medicine for preventing migraine, at 100 to 600 mg a day for adults.
- NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says not to take feverfew while pregnant, and the European Medicines Agency does not recommend it during pregnancy, breastfeeding or for people under 18.
- Parthenolide, feverfew's main sesquiterpene lactone, can cause allergic contact dermatitis, and allergy to daisy-family plants is a contraindication.
- In a 2010 study, creams made with a parthenolide-depleted feverfew extract still caused positive patch tests in 4 of 7 feverfew-allergic patients.
More information
Feverfew’s leaves and flowers carry sesquiterpene lactones, and the main one is parthenolide; the European Pharmacopoeia requires the dried herb to contain at least 0.20 percent.
Feverfew has been reviewed by the European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee (HMPC), which revised its monograph in 2020. It accepts powdered feverfew as a traditional herbal medicine for preventing migraine, at 100 to 600 mg a day for adults. The committee found feverfew well tolerated in clinical studies, with mostly mild, reversible side effects; chewing the fresh leaves can cause mouth sores. It lists allergy to daisy-family plants as a contraindication and does not recommend feverfew during pregnancy, breastfeeding or under 18. In the one rat study available, a dose about 11 times the maximum human dose was toxic to mothers and embryos, and genotoxicity and carcinogenicity tests have not been done. NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says not to take feverfew while pregnant, notes that it may slow blood clotting, and describes the migraine studies as inconsistent.
On the skin, parthenolide is a known cause of allergic contact dermatitis, and feverfew is an important sensitizer for people allergic to daisy-family plants; contact dermatitis has been reported after use of moisturizers containing feverfew. Extracts with the parthenolide removed were developed for cosmetics, but in a 2010 study, creams containing one caused positive patch tests in 4 of 7 feverfew-allergic patients. Feverfew extract has not been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety.
Reality check: feverfew has a reasonable safety record in adults but is not for everyone. NCCIH advises against it in pregnancy and says people sensitive to ragweed and related plants may react to it. If you are allergic to daisy-family plants, check labels for Chrysanthemum Parthenium or Tanacetum Parthenium.
Sources: European Medicines Agency: European Union herbal monograph on Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip., herba, revision 1 (2020); European Medicines Agency: Assessment report on Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip., herba, revision 1 (2020); NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Feverfew; Contact Dermatitis (2010), via PubMed: Patch test reactivity to feverfew-containing creams in feverfew-allergic patients
