Plant Profile: Feverfew

posted in: Plant Profiles, Seeds | 6

Feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, is a perennial medicinal herb …. a little plant with leaves that have an amazing scent.  This was a volunteer plant in my garden, and it just pops up every year and in a multitude of places.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

If you rub the leaves of this plant and then sniff your fingers it is supposed to relieve headache pains. There are many other uses from reducing fever to easing toothache.  It is used as extracts, capsules, and in tea form.  I haven’t tried any of these remedies but I’m always interested in reading about plants and how they have aided people.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

The blooms are just starting to open in mid to late June.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

Here the petals are fully open.  Each bloom is only about 2.5 cm across.  The plant will attract bees and butterflies.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

This plant will self seed rapidly and it is amazing to see so many new plants growing in the next year.  I love this little addition to my garden.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

If the blooms are left on the plant to dry out they begin to look like this.  If you don’t want this plant to self seed carefully snip off all these seedheads.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

The seeds are tiny.  You can save the seed to plant the following spring or just sprinkle some around the plant and let Nature do its thing.  You should see new plants the following year.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca

Feverfew and chamomile are easily confused with each other.

chamomile vs feverfer at craftygardener.ca

Both are medicinal herbs. Chamomile or camomile leaves are more whispy and long while feverfew leaves have a distinctive shape, in the chrysanthemum family. Chamomile tea which has flavonoids has a calming effect and helps digestive issues.

growing feverfew at craftygardener.ca
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6 Responses

  1. Tammy S Asad

    I love any sort of plant that volunteers to appear year after year of its own accord. 🙂

    • Crafty Gardener

      My kind of plant too, just need to snip off the flower heads before they drop all the seed. Enjoy the day.

  2. Myrtle

    Just got back from getting my second Physer injection. I wouldn’t some of the seeds from the Feverfew if you save some Linda. I am a chamomile tea lover, among others, I am using chamomile & vanilla tea. Let me know if you will have some to share. It only 24c but feels like 28c, definitely humid!.

    • Crafty Gardener

      Hope you feel okay after second vaccine. This is feverfew and not used for making tea, you want chamomile for that. It sure is a hot day here too. Stay cool.

  3. Margie

    One of the teas that I sipped down this month was a key lime chamomile. It was great both as a hot and cold tea!

  4. Jeannie

    Feverfew does work for curing migraines. My brother had them for years and I told him about Feverfew. He started taking a few pills every day and it curred his headaches. If he stops taking it, the migraines will return after a few months.

    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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