Butterbur

Parts Usually Used

Root

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Butterbur is a thick-stalked perennial plant that appears in early spring. A little later come the flowers, preceding the leaves and gathered in dense pinkish clusters. Bees love them for their nectar. The leaves themselves are kidney-shaped, rough toothed and large, their undersides are white. The lower part being divided into 2 round parts, close almost together, pale green and hairy underneath.

The root is long, and spreads under the ground, being in some places no bigger than ones finger, in others much bigger, blackish on the outside, and whitish inside. The taste is bitter and unpleasant. The flower blooms and decays in February and March before the leaves appear in April.

Where Found

Grow in low wet grounds by rivers and water sides

Medicinal Properties

Tonic, cardiac, diuretic, anticarcinogenic

Legends, Myths and Stories

Butterbur is quite harmless and non-poisonous. But the tincture may be too strong for some people.

Uses

Historically, herbalists regarded the plant as a general tonic, claiming it stimulated the heart and kidneys and increased urine output to address dropsy. Folk traditions also employed it for fevers, intestinal worms, asthma, migraines, spasms, and menstrual cramps, as well as for obesity and slow-healing sores. Additionally, some historical accounts noted its use by practitioners attempting to manage dependence on pain-relieving substances.

How Sold

Tablet form, known as Petadolor Petaforce capsules Petaforce is a harmless, non-toxic plant remedy to help cancer patients, even if they are on chemotherapy. Petaforce alleviates the unbearable pain suffered by cancer patients in the advanced stage of the illness, when morphine injections begin to fail. The Nature Doctor states that it reduces the danger of metastasis, improves the patient’s condition and prospects of a cure, and makes the existing pain more endurable.

Bibliography

Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. (Out of print) The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.

A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023