Butterbur plant supplement with petasin as active ingredient - Butterbur root research studie, butterbur herb for allergy (Petasites hybridus)

Butterbur is a shrub found throughout Europe as well as parts of Asia and North America. Butterbur that has been used medicinally for centuries to treat cough, asthma, and skin wounds. The plant can grow to a height of three feet and is usually found in wet, marshy ground, in damp forests, and adjacent to rivers or streams. For more butterbur research. Quercetin may also be helpful in some cases of allergy.

Petadolex ( purchae Butturbur ) 60 Softgels - Enzymatic Therapy

Petadolex contains the patented extract of butterbur that supports healthy blood vessel tone in the brain, as well as normal blood flow in the brain.* Butterbur has been the subject of several placebo-controlled clinical studies.

Petadolex is standardized to contain 15% of butterbur's key ingredient, petasin. It's also guaranteed to be pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) free, so you can use it with confidence. PA's are toxic compounds that can harm the liver. Studies demonstrate patented Petadolex is safe and well tolerated.

 

Click here to purchase Butterbur supplement pills or to see a complete list of natural products

Active ingredients in Butterbur
Petasin, a kind of sesquiterpene ester, appears to be a major active compound of Butterbur extract. It has inhibitory activities on leukotriene generation in eosinophils and neutrophils. This indicates that it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties. Butterbur may be helpful for seasonal allergic rhinitis. Butterbur also helps reduce smooth muscle spasm.

Medical uses for Butterbur herb and extract

Asthma and Bronchitis treatment: Various parts of the Butterbur plant have been used for centuries to treat bronchial asthma and whooping cough. Butterbur's possible effectiveness in treating respiratory disorders such as asthma and bronchitis is attributed to the antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties of the petasin constituent. (see below)

Gastrointestinal Disorders: A German study found extracts of Butterbur blocked ethanol-induced gastric damage and reduced ulcerations of the small intestine caused by indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritic conditions. The results of this study were attributed to inhibition of lipoxygenase activity and leukotriene biosynthesis.

Migraine Headache relief: Two clinical studies using 50 mg and 75 mg of a standardized Butterbur extract twice daily for 12 weeks demonstrated its effectiveness as a prophylactic treatment for migraines. When used to treat migraines, administration is prophylactic and supplementation should be carried out daily for a few weeks and then tapered until migraine incidence begins to increase. Butterbur may work by preventing peptidoleukotriene biosynthesis.

An extract of the root of a plant called butterbur (Petasites hybridus) reduces the frequency of migraine headaches. An article published in the December 2004 issue of Neurology reports a trial that compared butterbur with an inactive placebo. Researchers compared the effectiveness of two different doses of butterbur extract in about 230 migraine patients. They had experienced two to six attacks per month for the 3 months prior to the study. The number of migraine headache attacks per month was reduced by 45 percent in the group that took 75 milligrams of butterbur twice daily, compared with a reduction of 28 percent in the placebo group during the 16-week trial. A group that took 50 milligrams of butterbur twice daily experienced a 32 percent decrease, not significantly different from placebo. The butterbur extract was well tolerated, the team reports, with burping as the only adverse event occurring more frequently in the active treatment groups. There were no changes in blood pressure, heart rate, or routine laboratory tests.
   It is likely that some users will find butterbur reduces the severity or frequency of their migraine headache, whereas others may not find it to be helpful. How butterbur interacts with standard pharmaceutical medicines -- such as beta blockers or triptans -- used for prevention or treatment of migraines is currently not known.

Butterbur Safety and side effects
Butterbur has not been studied extensively enough to determine its side effects.

Butterbur Dosage
Typically, Butterbur extracts are standardized to contain a minimum of 7.5 mg of petasin and isopetasin. The adult dosage ranges from 50-100 mg twice daily with meals.

Enzymatic Therapy - Petadolex, 60 Softgels
 Petadolex contains the patented extract of butterbur that supports healthy blood vessel tone in the brain, as well as normal blood flow in the brain.* It has been the subject of two placebo-controlled clinical studies. Petadolex is standardized to contain 15% of butterbur's key ingredient, petasin. It's also guaranteed to be pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) free, so you can use it with confidence. PA's are toxic compounds that can harm the liver. Studies demonstrate patented Petadolex is safe and well tolerated.

Butterbur Research study
Safety of a patented special butterbur root extract for migraine prevention.
Danesch U, Rittinghausen R. Weber and Weber, Inning, Germany. Headache. 2003 Jan;43(1):76-8.

Petasites hybridus (Butterbur root) extract in the treatment of asthma - an open trial.
Danesch UC.
University of Heidelberg, Germany; past research position, Stanford School of Medicine; Research and development, Weber and Weber. Correspondence address: Muenchner Strasse 13, D-82061, Neuried, Germany.
Altern Med Rev. 2004 Mar;9(1):54-62.
The efficacy and tolerability of a butterbur root extract (Petadolex) for the treatment of asthma was analyzed in a prospective, non-randomized, open trial. Subjects included 64 adults and 16 children/adolescents treated for two months with the extract, followed by two months during which the intake of the extract was optional. Concomitant asthma medication was permitted. The number, duration, and severity of asthma attacks decreased, while peak flow, forced expiratory volume (FEV1), and all measured symptoms improved during therapy. In addition, more than 40 percent of patients using asthma medications at baseline reduced intake of these medications by the end of the study. This study suggests the Butterbur extract Petadolex is an effective and safe therapy for the treatment of asthma.

A placebo-controlled evaluation of butterbur and fexofenadine on objective and subjective outcomes in perennial allergic rhinitis.
Lee DK, Gray RD, Robb FM et al.
Clin Exp Allergy. 2004;34:646-9.
There are presently no placebo-controlled data regarding the effects of butterbur on subjective and objective outcomes in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. We performed a placebo-controlled evaluation of the effects of Butterbur and fexofenadine (FEX) on subjective and objective outcomes in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. Methods Sixteen patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and house dust mite sensitization were randomized in double-blind cross-over fashion to receive for 1 week either Butterbur 50 mg twice daily, FEX 180 mg once daily and placebo (PL) once daily, or PL twice daily. The peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) response to adenosine monophosphate (AMP) challenge administered as a single 400 mg/mL dose was measured over a 60-min period after challenge, and domiciliary total nasal symptom score was recorded. Results Pre-challenge values for mean+/-SEM PNIF (L/min) were not significantly different comparing all groups; BB (138), FEX (140), and PL (138). The maximum % PNIF fall from baseline after nasal AMP challenge was significantly attenuated compared to PL (46), with BB (34+/-3) and FEX (39+/-3). The area under the 60-min time-response curve (%.min) was also significantly attenuated compared to PL, with Butterbur and FEX. There was also a significant reduction (P<0.05) in total nasal symptom score with BB (1.8+/-0.4) and fexofenadine, compared to placebo. There were no significant differences between Butterbur and FEX for any outcomes. Butterbur and FEX, in comparison to PL, were equally effective in attenuating the nasal response to AMP and in improving nasal symptoms, highlighting a potential role for BB in the treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Butterbur supplement questions
Q. My wife has been having pains due to cancer and chemo and surgery and soon to have radiation. She has all sorts of pains everywhere. Can butterbur help? Or is there something better?
   A. We cannot predict what kind of effect butterbur will have on cancer related pain.

Do you have additional information on natural supplements besides this butterbur page?
    Yes, see supplements and herbal information where you will find many other topics.

I wanted to give you feedback that the combination of butterbur and yohimbe bark is not a good idea, I got rapid heart rhythm.
   The aphrodisiac herb itself can cause rapid heart rate.

My 13 year old daughter has very bad seasonal allergies and hay fever, which triggers asthma, and some mild food allergies. I read about Butterbur on your website and would like to try it on her - is there a brand you can recommend and also, what dosage should she take? She is about 85 lbs.
    We can't give advice on specific dosages, but children need less than adults.