Feverfew

Tanacetum parthenium

Asteraceae

Tiny daisy chewed (or encapsulated) to cut the frequency of migraine — a prevention herb, not a rescue drug.

Garden herb and supplement.

Parts used: Leaf
Traditional notes: Migraine prevention · Low-grade inflammatory ache · Historically as a fever herb
Grow · USDA 6b: Short-lived perennial, USDA 5–8 Self-sows freely. Pinch to keep leaf coming. In work: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug
Harvest: Leaves before full bloom, all summer.

A short-lived perennial. Let a few plants seed or you will lose the patch.
Fresh leaf is the traditional migraine nibble — and it is bitter.
Sun and decent drainage. It sulks in wet winter clay.

Safety

Pregnancy Asteraceae allergy Children without pediatric advice

Lore

Medieval ‘featherfew’ was a fever plant; modern trials are about migraine. Chewing the fresh leaf can ulcerate the mouth, which is why the old advice was a sandwich of bread around it. A cottage-garden daisy with a sharper job than it looks.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.