Herb
Butterbur
A European wetland herb whose PA-free extract is studied for easing allergy inflammation and preventing migraines.
⤢📊 How it ranks (our editor score) — 54/100Tap to see the breakdown
👶 Safe for children?
This remedy carries age-related cautions. Please read them before giving it to a child, and check with your pediatrician or pharmacist first.
- May cause burping, headache, or drowsiness; avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding, in children, and with any liver condition or ragweed-family allergy.
🌱 What it is
Butterbur grows in damp, marshy ground across Europe, Asia, and parts of North America, with broad leaves once used to wrap butter (hence its name). Modern products go through a purification process to remove naturally occurring compounds that are hard on the liver, leaving a standardized PA-free extract, which is the only form appropriate to use at all.
✨ Why it's good for you
- Traditionally used to support comfort during seasonal sniffles and stuffiness
- Traditionally used to support the body during occasional head tension
- Traditionally used to support easier breathing when airways feel irritated
- Traditionally used to support calm sinuses during allergy season
🥗 Nutrition
Per 1 capsule (PA-free extract) · about 3 calories
- Petasins (bioactive)
- Sesquiterpenes
- Negligible macronutrients
Source: Nutrition estimate (per typical serving)
🥄 How to use it
Only use a standardized, certified PA-free (pyrrolizidine-alkaloid-free) extract product, taken as a capsuleDried, powdered herb packed into a swallowable shell for a measured dose. How to make a capsule → following the label's dose. Never use raw or homemade butterbur preparations.
How much: Follow the specific PA-free product's label; studied doses are typically 50–75 mg twice daily of a standardized extract.
Show full details & how to prepare it
Butterbur grows in damp ground across Europe and has a long herbal-medicine history, but the whole plant naturally contains liver-toxic, potentially carcinogenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Modern manufacturing can remove these, producing a certified 'PA-free' extract that has been studied for hay-fever symptoms and migraine prevention. Because the safety of butterbur depends entirely on how it was processed, this is not a plant to forage, grow, or prepare at home — only a certified PA-free commercial product should ever be used.
Ways to prepare it
⚠️ Cautions
- Raw or unprocessed butterbur contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can seriously damage the liver and, with long exposure, raise cancer risk — only certified PA-free extract products are appropriate to use at all.
📚 Learn more
🌿 Deeper natural detail
🩺 The conventional view
💬 Ask Remy about Butterbur
📚 Resource confidence
Based on mentions in health references
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