Does butterbur cause liver damage?
What Do We Know About Safety? Some butterbur products contain chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). PAs can damage the liver, lungs, and blood circulation, and possibly cause cancer.
What is butterbur extract good for?
Butterbur is an herbal supplement used for pain, upset stomach, stomach ulcers, migraine and other headaches, ongoing cough, chills, anxiety, plague, fever, trouble sleeping (insomnia), whooping cough, asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), and for irritable bladder and urinary tract spasms.
Is butterbur an antihistamine?
Background: Butterbur or Petasites hybridus is an herbal remedy that exhibits antihistamine and antileukotriene activity and has been shown to attenuate the response to adenosine monophosphate challenge in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Is butterbur the same as feverfew?
Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) Like Feverfew, Butterbur has a centuries old history as a folk remedy for headaches. It is a perennial shrub found in marshy areas of northern Europe and elsewhere. The butterbur root contains compounds which can poison the liver. For safety these need to be removed before use.
Is butterbur extract good for allergies?
Butterbur contains compounds that reduce inflammation. Clinical research has shown that butterbur extract is effective at treating migraines, allergies and asthma. Studies on butterbur for allergies have shown the extract is just as effective as an antihistamine drug, but it doesn’t cause the drowsiness side effect.
Is butterbur like Singulair?
Butterbur seems to act as an LT receptor inhibitor, much like the drug montelukast (Singulair). Montelukast can be used to treat nasal allergies. It can also cause severe mental health side effects, so it isn’t recommended as an allergy treatment unless there are no other suitable options.