Posted on May 20, 2008 in Latest News
Since a long time butterbur is in the focus and it’s being studied for its allergy-relieving properties. So, if you are looking for any herbal remedy for allergies you can opt for butterbur herbal supplements. This supplement can alleviate the symptoms caused by allergies as it is suggested by some researches.
What is butterbur?
Butterbur is actually a shrub-like, large-leafed plant that is native to Europe. The extracts from the roots, stem and leaves of the butterbur plant have also been used to treat stomach ulcers, migraine headaches, infections and coughs, as well as asthma and allergies. Moreover, in the ancient time, butterbur had been used to treat fever and plague.
Butterbur has an anti-inflammatory effect that decreases leukotrienes and histamine. Although, butterbur also contains substances that can be toxic to your liver and may cause cancer but even then butterbur products are generally processed in such a way that can reduce the amount of those toxins.
Several Names of Butterbur
Butterbur is commonly known as:
- Butterfly Dock
- Butter-Dock
- Bog Rhubarb
- Exwort
- Blatterdock
Butterbur is generally taken as tablets. It’s also available in extracts, teas, and capsules consisting of raw herbs. You can even buy butterbur as a tablet or as part of a product that contains a mixture of herbs.
Is Butterbur Really Worthy to Rely Upon?
Just go through below to understand whether you can rely on butterbur.
- It is actually believed that butterbur acts similarly to antihistamines by creating a block to the actions of the inciting chemical histamine that is released by body’s immune system when the body experiences an allergic reaction.
- According to a study, done in “Clinical & Experimental Allergy”, published in 2004, butterbur is as effective as any of the prescription medication in treating or easing the symptoms of hay fever.
- There was another study that got published in June 2005 issue of “Phytotherapy Research”. It showed the similar results. This study actually proved that butterbur worked as fine as the prescription drug cetirizine does for hay fever symptoms.
- Additionally, butterbur always tends to cause less drowsiness that is normally a side effect of antihistamine medications.
Side Effects of Taking Butterbur Supplements
To get rid of allergies, butterbur may seem promising, though some more researches are actually needed to be sure whether it’s safe to use long term.Research studies are yet to determine whether this herbal supplement is safe to use for more than two weeks.
We have listed down some possible side effects of butterbur supplement. If one of these is found in you then you need to stop taking this supplement and immediately consult an expert.
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Indigestion
- Itchy eyes
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Vomiting
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