Butterbur

Researchers performed a study of the effectiveness of butterbur for the treatment of migraine headaches in 245 sufferers. Participants received either 50 mg twice daily of P. hybridus, 75 mg twice daily, or placebo. Over the 4 months of the study, the frequency of migraine attacks decreased in all three groups: 36% in the 75 mg group, 48% in the 50 mg group, and 26% in the placebo group. However, the group receiving the higher dose of butterbur extract showed significantly greater improvement than those in the placebo group. The lower dose of butterbur failed to prove significantly more effective than placebo. Additionally, P. hybridus was shown to cut the frequency of migraine headaches by at least 50% in 68% of patients in the 75-mg arm and only 49% in the placebo arm. (5)