Stop and Smell the Butterbur

Although flowers often trigger seasonal allergies, at least one flower may cure them. In a recent Swiss study, the leaves of the butterbur (Petasites hybridus) plant alleviated hay fever symptoms just as well as an antihistamine drug.

The sneezing, stuffy nose and watery eyes of seasonal allergies affect more than 20 percent of people in Western countries, so an herbal remedy would be a welcome, non-drowsy alternative to antihistamine drugs. In previous studies, however, butterbur root didn’t alleviate hay fever, though it did help with year-long allergies. But now researchers may have gotten to the root of the problem: They needed to use the leaves instead.

In the Swiss study, involving 330 hay fever sufferers, researchers gave patients either leaf-extracted butterbur, the antihistamine fexofenadine or a placebo. Those taking the herb received 8 mg of petasines (butterbur’s active ingredient) three times a day. The butterbur and antihistamine tablet performed equally well, cutting allergy symptoms significantly more than the placebo.

Unfortunately, the form of butterbur given, Ze 399 from the company Zeller, is available only as a regulated drug in Switzerland, though Zeller eventually plans to distribute it internationally. In the U.S., consumers can find root-extracted butterbur, which alleviates asthma and migraines but does not appear to have the same therapeutic benefits for hay fever as the leaf-extracted version.

—Kristin Bjornsen

Enter a comment related to this article

---