Butterbur

Overview – Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) has been recommended to treat ailments since
the time of the Greek physician Dioscurides (40-90 AD) who suggested it for skin ulcers.
In ancient times, it was also widely utilized to treat the plague, fever, and open wounds.
However, thanks to modern research, there is now a wide range of ailments that
physicians around the world recognize as treatable by Butterbur.

What Butterbur Can Treat – Skin and Gastric Ulcers, Hypertension, Migraines
(preventive treatment), Headaches, Asthma, Inflammation, Hay Fever, Tumors, Spasms
associated with coughing and asthma, Irritable Bladders or Urinary Tracts, Allergies,
Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

In particular, Butterbur has been proven to be as effective as commercial antihistamines

to treat allergies. Results of a “randomized, double-blind, parallel group” study showed
that Butterbur was “significantly superior to placebo in improving symptoms of IAR
[Intermittent Allergic Rhinitis],” and, thus, “despite being an herbal drug, Butterbur Ze
339 has now been subject to a series of well controlled trials and should be considered as
an alternative treatment for IAR” (Phytotherapy Research). It is an excellent source of
relief from pesky hives, itching, runny noses, and other allergy symptoms. The second
most common ailment that Butterbur is used to treat is migraine headaches.

Further, by using Butterbur, you bypass all of the side effects of pharmaceutically
produced antihistamines, such as drowsiness, headaches, and raised blood pressure.

How It Works – The following is a summary of the active ingredients found in

Butterbur:

Petasin: This is the antispasmodic component of Butterbur that serves to relax muscular
tissue and the vascular walls, and even serves as a remedy for hypertension (National
Research Institute of Chinese Medicine). It is also an anti-inflammatory that blocks the
production of leukotriene, which is the molecule in your immune system that causes
inflammation during bouts of asthma or bronchitis. In addition, it works to regulate
cellular calcium production, remedy urinary disorders, and fix any muscular irregularities
that keep your body from functioning normally.

Isopetasin: This is an antimuscarinic that can treat Parkin’s Disease and Alzheimer’s
Disease. Muscarinic agents inhibit nerve impulses and the binding of Acetylcholine, a
neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Isopetasin is thus vital for memory and overall
cognitive function, the lack of which then can lead to the aforementioned ailments.

Flavonoid: These antioxidants combat free radicals and protect cells from the effects of
oxidation. This function is essential to prevent and treat cancer.

Dosage and Toxicity– 50-75 mg twice a day for allergies, headaches, inflammation,
coughing, asthma, and mild infections.
This dosage taken daily over the course of a month, Butterbur has been shown to prevent
migraine headaches. For ailments such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease,
we recommend that you combine Butterbur with other natural remedies such as Vitamin
C and D. At this dose there is no risk of toxicity.

You should always buy supplements in which the Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids have been
removed, as this is a natural toxin.