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Could a simple herb be the key to reducing your migraine attacks?
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Pyrifu has been used for centuries, but does it really work?
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Let's dive into the science and the tradition behind this herbal remedy
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and how it can help you in your home.
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Migraine Heroes is a podcast for chronic migraine sufferers
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who've seen countless doctors with no results.
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Learn how to reduce your migraine attacks without endless medications or constant sacrifices.
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Hello, I'm Diane Ducarme.
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I've helped over 500 people break free from migraine,
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even after suffering for up to 60 years.
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My mission in life?
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To bring this relief to a million people
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using a unique blend of Eastern medicine and Western science.
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In this episode, you will learn what modern science says about Pyrifu's effectiveness for
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migraines, how Pyrifu works in the body to prevent migraine attacks,
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both from an Eastern medicine and a Western medicine perspective,
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and the best way to use Pyrifu for your migraine profile.
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Pyrifu is one of the most well-researched herbal remedies for migraines.
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Numerous studies have explored its ability to reduce migraine frequency and severity.
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I first came across the studies in 2019,
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after working with Dr. Zhang to help the daughter of a well-known neurologist in the US.
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Her father, a genealogist, was advocating for a lifetime of injections.
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Yet, in just four months, we resolved her migraines using a herb very similar to Pyrifu.
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Now, to be clear, her genetic predisposition to migraines did not change, it never does,
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but the actual pain was gone.
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And that experience led me to search for scientific evidence to explain what we had just done.
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And today, I want to share with you the key studies I uncovered on that day.
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The first one dates back from 1985, and it's done by Johnson et al.
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It was a double-blind placebo-controlled trial on 17 individuals,
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so quite very few.
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They had been using fresh Pyrifu leaves daily,
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and when some participants were switched to placebo,
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their migraine frequency and severity significantly increased.
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Those who continued with Pyrifu maintained the same level of migraine relief,
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indicating its potential effectiveness.
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So three years later, in 1988,
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Murphy et al. did a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
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This study followed 72 migraine sufferers, so a bit larger,
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and found that those taking dried Pyrifu leaf capsules
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were experiencing a reduction in both migraine frequency and severity.
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Additionally, they noticed that vomiting incidence decreased with Pyrifu use
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and that no serious side effects were reported.
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The side effects that they were referring to were mild gastrointestinal issues,
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including diarrhea, nausea, and bloating.
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But they were not sure why.
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And in 1998, so fast forward 10 years later,
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a meta-analysis published in Cephalgia reviewed multiple studies
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and found that Pyrifu can reduce migraine frequency,
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though results were varying among individuals.
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And again, we were not sure why.
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And so that's something Western medicine could not quite understand.
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Why would it work for some people?
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Why not some others?
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And what were those sort of side effects that were gastrointestinal issues?
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Later on, they went to discover that Pyrifu contains parathenolide,
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a compound that helps to reduce inflammation and prevent blood vessel constriction,
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both major migraine triggers.
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Now let's shift our focus to Eastern medicine.
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Traditional Chinese medicine and other herbal traditions
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have long relied on plants like Pyrifu for migraine relief.
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While Pyrifu originates from Europe and Western Asia,
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its botanical cousins chamomile is coming from Rome, Greece and Egypt,
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and chrysanthemum comes from Asia.
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And chrysanthemum is the one that traditional Chinese medicine traditionally refers to.
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And they have played similar roles in herbal medicine across these different geographies.
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Now, even though these plants I just named, Pyrifu, chamomile and chrysanthemum,
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have unique properties, they share two key benefits for migraine sufferers
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in terms of traditional Chinese medicine.
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The first one is liver detoxification and stimulation.
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In traditional Chinese medicine, you will hear me often say that
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migraines are linked to the liver cheese stagnation and liver fire,
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so stagnation and toxicity at the level of the liver. And these herbs,
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that family of herbs can help with that.
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The second benefit is that it has cooling and anti-inflammatory effects.
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Pyrifu and its counterparts, chamomile and chrysanthemum, have a cooling nature,
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making them particularly effective for migraine triggered by heat, stress and inflammation.
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Now, Eastern medicine has understood these connections for thousands of years,
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long, long before Western science caught up.
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But more than that, it can actually explain why some people experience progress,
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why some people do not experience progress,
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and why some people experience diarrhea and other gastrointestinal side effects.
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Now, in TCM, herbs like Pyrifu aren't just seen as isolated compounds,
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they interact with the body's internal balance, digestive health and overall constitution.
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So while Western research acknowledges Pyrifu's potential, it often misses the bigger picture.
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Why is it working for others and why not?
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And how individual differences in digestion and internal heat play a role.
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And in that sense, Western science still hasn't quite caught up yet.
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And is there a motivation to prove that a certain food can heal with migraines
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and that that food can be found in nature?
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Let's say that there's less budget for that on a structural basis.
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Now, I've been doing this work for the last six years,
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working with every single day with people all over the globe
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and developing an AI in the Migraine Heroes app.
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And so I have used over and over again chamomile and chrysanthemum.
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And there are indeed a lot of nuances that you can find in Eastern medicine
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and that needs to be applied in the West.
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And some of the West can also add a bit to it.
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Of course, life is not as simple as taking one single infusion,
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as usually imbalances are multiple.
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That's also why you see in those studies,
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they say that people's migraine decrease, not disappear.
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And so while Feverfew is going to stimulate and detox the liver,
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it will also cool it down and potentially create other imbalances over time.
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And so you might really well relate to this.
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You try something and it works and then later, it no longer works.
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And that's because the Feverfew might do something really nice,
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but over time, add too much cold inside your body and make your bowels more loose
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and your kidney system more cold and inefficient,
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making your migraine patterns lower initially,
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then shift in nature over time.
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So for whom is Feverfew most appropriate?
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It works well if you have been taking a lot of medications.
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By that, I mean a lot.
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If you feel hot all the time or very often,
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and if you have a tendency to be constipated,
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a lot more than having diarrhea or loose stool.
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Now, if you have an irritable bowel syndrome called IBS,
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if you are on a FODMAP diet,
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if you are pregnant, this is not for you.
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It will create more bloating, less digestive ease and pregnancy issues,
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not to mention miscarriages.
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Also, do not take Feverfew or that family if you take certain medications
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such as blood thinners, anticoagulants, sedatives or antidepressants to just name a few,
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as Feverfew will mess up with those
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and that will create more imbalances and more migraines potentially.
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Also, do not take Feverfew, chamomile or chrysanthemum
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when you have your menstruation
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as it will likely make you bleed more than necessary.
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Finally, avoid it as well if you have a condition that is made worse by exposure to oestrogen
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such as oestrogen dominance, breast cancer or uterine cancer.
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That is because chamomile contains phytoestrogens
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which are plant compounds that can mimic the effects of oestrogen in the body.
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So what is the hack to reap the maximum benefits of Feverfew
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while not creating more damage?
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Well, the hack is actually to pair it with another herb.
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And in my work, I pair it with a lot of different herbs,
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being able to supplement it and to contract some of the negative effects
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and add more positive effects just for you.
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That's something that the West has not understood yet,
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but I trust it will come and we will help that it works
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and we will help that it comes and we will help universities in time
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with our massive data sets and our massive learnings.
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So count on us for integrity in the space and helping us move forward as a society.
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Now, let's go back to you.
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If you are keen to explore how to pair Feverfew effectively for your body
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or to find alternatives,
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you can download my free guide at
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www.magrainheroes.com
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And in that guide, I'll help you pair it for your constitution.
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So in a nutshell, what did we learn?
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Feverfew has been scientifically studied for migraine prevention
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and may help reduce attack frequency in a scientifically proven manner.
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It works by reducing inflammation, improving blood vessel function
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and stimulating and detoxing the liver.
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Traditional Chinese medicine views Feverfew as a cooling herb
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that moves stagnation and support overall migraine relief.
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Avoid Feverfew if you take anticoagulants, blood thinners, antidepressants,
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if you have IBS, diarrhea often, are on a FODMAP diet, pregnant
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or if you are cold often.
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Found this episode helpful?
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