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Common Name | Butterbur |
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| Other Names | Langwort, Umbrella Plan |
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| Parts Used: | root |
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Ethanolic (alcohol) or lipophilic (oil) extractions; Not recommended for use in teas or infusions.
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Butterbur root has been used traditionally since the Middle Ages, and in North America during colonial times as a heart stimulant, acting both as a cardiac tonic and also as a diuretic, to treat fevers, wheezing and colds.
Modern research supports that butterbur root extract may be useful in treating the symptoms of seasonal rhinitis (allergies), asthma and prevent migraines, however more research is needed. In Germany, butterbur extract is approved for the treatment of spasmodic urinary pain, particularly when there are stones present. Butterbur is thought to work by reducing spasms in muscle tissues, including blood vessels. However, there are concerns about possible liver damage. |
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| Heart stimulant, diurectic | | [398] Butterbur root is medicinally employed as a heart stimulant, acting both as a cardic tonic and also as a diuretic.
(Grieve, Maude ) | | Fevers, colds, UTI | | [546] Butterbur has been used as a remedy in fevers, asthma, colds and urinary complaints, a decoction being taken warm in wineglassful doses, frequently repeated.
(Grieve, Maude ) | | [973] Butterbur is a traditional remedy for wheezing. Studies of the effectiveness of butterbur root extract on the symptoms of asthma are promising, but further study is necessary.
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| Butterbur contains Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids and its internal use is not recommended. There have been some reports of liver damage associated with the use of butterbur root extract. It should not be used by pregnant or nursing women. Not recommended for long term use. |
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The Butterbur, a plant nearly allied to the Coltsfoot - being the Tussilago petasites of Linnaeus is found in wet ground and low lying marshy meadows. The name of the genus, Petasites, is derived from the Greek word for the felt hats worn by shepherds, like that of depictions of Mercury, in reference to the large leaves of the plant which block out light and air and prevent other plants from growing. The name butterbur comes from the old use of the wrapping butter in the large leaves. Called plague flower in the old herbals, because of its value as a remedy in times of calamity.
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 It is under the dominion of the Sun and therefore is a great strengthener of the heart, and cheers the vital spirits. The excellent Fuschius, in his account of this herb, is most express, and records its virtue as wonderful in pestilential fevers; and this he speaks not from tradition, but his own experience. Were it needful to prove the sun gives light, it is scarcely less certain or less obvious, than that this root, beyond all things else cures pestilential fevers, and is by long experience found to be very available against the plague, by provoking sweat; if the powder thereof, be taken in wine, it also resisteth the force of any other poison. Nicholas Culpeper |
Common Typos:
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Butterbur Medicinal Uses
