Feverfew

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Feverfew
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), illustration

Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium ), illustration

Systematics
Asterids
Euasterids II
Order : Astern-like (Asterales)
Family : Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Genre : Tanacetum
Type : Feverfew
Scientific name
Tanacetum parthenium
L.

Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Sch.Bip. , Syn. : Chrysanthemum parthenium . (L.) Bernh ) is a plant from the family of Compositae (Asteraceae). Other common names are false chamomile , ornamental chamomile and fever herb .

The common name feverfew is used regionally for many other plant species, such as alpine motherwort , which was mostly used as a medicinal herb or as an abortive .

description

Feverfew grows as a perennial herbaceous plant and in its wild form reaches heights of 30 to 80 centimeters. It smells strongly aromatic. The stem is ribbed and branched at the top. The alternate leaves are petiolate. The delicate, light green, almost hairless leaf blade is ovate in outline and pinnately to pinnate with a larger end section.

The flowering period extends from June to September. In loose umbel panicle total inflorescences are five to 30 cup-shaped partial inflorescences. The flower heads have a diameter of 13 to 22 millimeters and contain ray and tubular flowers. The female ray florets are white and 5 to 9 millimeters long. The hermaphroditic tubular flowers are yellow.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.

Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium )

Occurrence

Feverfew is an old ornamental and medicinal plant, traditionally z. B. planted in cottage gardens. There are a number of cultivars, the flowers of which are often double and sometimes only consist of ray-flowers. Feverfew is often overgrown from gardens. It can be found, for example, in ruderal grass and perennial corridors. Loamy, nutrient-rich soils are preferred as locations. Permanent naturalization has not yet been proven. In Central Europe, the species occurs in societies of the Arction association, in Southeastern Europe in societies of the Atropion Association.

Feverfew was originally native to the eastern Mediterranean region. His homeland was the Caucasus, Turkey, Crimea, Portugal, Southeast Europe and the Czech Republic. Due to its historically long traceability in Central Europe, the species is classified as an archaeophyte . In North Africa, the Azores, Canaries and Madeira, in West and Central Asia, in North, Central and South America, in New Zealand, Hawaii and Australia, feverfew is a neophyte.

Naturopathy

Feverfew was already described as a medicinal herb by Dioscurides in the 1st century . In the Middle Ages it was used against fever and headaches. The name comes from its use in pregnancy problems - it triggers menstruation and promotes the detachment of the placenta , so it is an abortion.

Today's naturopathic use

The leaves of feverfew can reduce the occurrence of migraines if they are taken regularly prophylactically for weeks. They should also have a calming and digestive effect and fight parasites in the intestines . Applied externally, they should also help against skin ulceration and repel insects . The contained parthenolides inhibit the formation of prostaglandins and the release of serotonin from the blood platelets. They have recently been seen as a possible basis for a new drug against leukemia . Feverfew is available as a finished preparation. It can easily be grown in your own garden to use the leaves directly. Because of their bitter-aromatic taste, they were often placed on bread, but this is no longer recommended. By cultivating bitter substances from many herbs, vegetables and fruits, the strong bitterness of the flower is unusual for today's palate. There is no precise experience with pregnancy and breastfeeding , but there is a clear contraindication.

Toxicity

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

The above-ground parts of the plant contain several sesquiterpene lactones . The most important in terms of quantity is parthenolide , which also plays a role as a contact allergen . Depending on the location and time of year, its share in the short ether extract is up to 1%. When feverfew came onto the market as an ornamental plant a few years ago , the number of allergic contact dermatitis observed increased. However, feverfew is also considered to be the main responsible species among the causes of airborne contact dermatitis . In 50% of the patients who are sensitive to feverfew, a cross allergy with other aster family is regularly observed; particularly often with chrysanthemums , tansy , daisy , yarrow and sunflower , but also with representatives of other plant families such as z. B. with laurel or Frullania .

Common names

The other German-language trivial names exist or existed for feverfew: Bocksblum, Breselkraut ( Austria near Linz ), Jungfernkraut ( Swabia , Silesia ), Mägdeblümen, Mählerkraut, Magdblum, Maraun ( East Prussia ), Mater , Materie ( Middle Low German ), Matram ( Middle High German ), Matran (Middle High German), Matrenen, Matrenichen (Silesia), Matron (Middle High German), Matronkraut, Mehtert ( Transylvania ), Meidblumen, Meter, Meter, Metra, Metter, Metterich ( Thuringia ), Mettram, Mettrs (Middle High German), Mütrich, Muattachrut ( St. Gallen near Werdenberg ), Muterkrut (Middle Low German) and Sonnenauge.

  • photos

  • Habitus

  • Pinnate foliage

  • Flower heads

  • Example of a “filled” ornamental plant variant, basket size corresponds to the wild form

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi, Arno Wörz (eds.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg . tape 6 : Special part (Spermatophyta, subclass Asteridae): Valerianaceae to Asteraceae . Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1996, ISBN 3-8001-3343-1 .
  2. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  941 .
  3. ↑ Christopher Brickell (ed.): DuMont's large plant encyclopedia A – Z. Volume 2, DuMont, Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-7701-4350-7 .
  4. ^ A b Tanacetum in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  5. ↑ Feverfew. In: FloraWeb.de.
  6. ↑ HC Diener, V. Pfaffenrath, J. Schnitker, M. Friede, HH Henneicke-von Zepelin: Efficacy and safety of 6.25 mg tid feverfew CO 2 -extract (MIG-99) in migraine prevention - a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study. In: Cephalalgia. Volume 25, Issue 11, Nov. 2005, pp. 1031-1041. (English)
  7. ^ Conference report 16th Swiss Conference on Phytotherapy - Part 2, Topic Migraine Treatment , 2001, p. 2. ( PDF; 43 kB )
  8. ↑ Michael F. Clarke, Michael W. Becker: Cancer - are stem cells to blame? In: Spectrum of Science. 1/2007, p. 63. ( PDF; 599 kB )
  9. ↑ Plant Derivative Attacks the Roots of Leukemia . University of Rochester Medical Center, News Archive, February 11, 2005. ( online ( September 21, 2006 memento in the Internet Archive ))
  10. ↑ Monica Guzman, Randall Rossi, Lilliana Karnischky, Xiaojie Li, Derick Peterson, Dianna Howard, Craig Jordan: The sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide induces apoptosis of human acute myelogenous leukemia stem and progenitor cells. In: Blood. Vol. 105, No. 11, Washington, June 1, 2005, pp. 4163-4169. ( online , english)
  11. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 95 f. (on-line)

Web links

Commons : Feverfew ( Tanacetum parthenium )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files