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Phytomedicines in the Treatment of Migraine

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A Letter to the Editor to this article was published on 30 April 2019

Abstract

Migraine is a disabling neurovascular disorder with few targeted, tolerable and effective treatments. Phytomedicines, or plant-based medicinal formulations, hold great promise in the identification of novel therapeutic targets in migraine. Many patients also turn toward herbal and plant-based therapies for the treatment of their migraines as clinical and preclinical evidence of efficacy increases. Patients seek effective and tolerable treatments instead of or in addition to current conventional pharmacologic therapies. We review some phytomedicines potentially useful for migraine treatment—feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), butterbur (Petasites hybridus), marijuana (Cannabis spp.), Saint John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and the Damask rose (Rosa × damascena)—with respect to their mechanisms of action and evidence for treatment of migraine. The evidence for feverfew is mixed; butterbur is effective with potential risks of hepatotoxicity related to preparation; marijuana has not been shown to be effective in migraine treatment, and data are scant; Saint John’s Wort shows relevant physiological activity but is a hepatic enzyme inducer and lacks clinical studies for this purpose; the Damask rose when used in topical preparations did not show efficacy in one clinical trial. Other plant preparations have been considered for migraine treatment but most without blinded randomized, placebo-controlled trial evidence.

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Adapted from Leimuranta et al. [103] with permission

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Thilinie Rajapakse

  2. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    William Jeptha Davenport

  3. Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    William Jeptha Davenport

  4. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    William Jeptha Davenport

  5. Women and Children’s Research Institute, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Thilinie Rajapakse

Authors
  1. Thilinie Rajapakse
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  2. William Jeptha Davenport
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Correspondence to Thilinie Rajapakse.

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Thilinie Rajapakse and William Jeptha Davenport have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this study.

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Rajapakse, T., Davenport, W.J. Phytomedicines in the Treatment of Migraine. CNS Drugs 33, 399–415 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-018-0597-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-018-0597-2

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