Migraines Bow to Butterbur

Butterbur, a plant long used in Europe to head off migraines, now has some scientific backing.

In a study of 202 migraine patients, those downing 75 milligrams of butterbur twice a day cut their migraines by nearly half after just four months. People in the placebo group reduced their headaches by only a quarter.

How does it stack up against other natural migraine therapies? “We can never predict what will work best for a particular patient,” says Richard Lipton, lead researcher and professor of neurology at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “At least we can say that butterbur is worth adding to the arsenal.”

If you’d like to give butterbur a try, the study used a supplement standardized to 15 percent petasins (the active ingredient). Also, make sure the product doesn’t contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, part of the butterbur plant that can be toxic.

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