Feverfew Seeds | Tanacetum parthenium

Feverfew is traditionally worked with specifically to relieve and prevent migraine headaches (especially those that are eased by applying heat.)

In the past, this earned feverfew the extremely outdated and sexist nickname “housewife’s aspirin”*. The medicinal effect is likely due to feverfew’s anti-inflammatory properties as well as its ability to relax blood vessels (vasodilation), releasing the pain caused by the built-up pressure of blood in the head.

Although feverfew is not native to the US, it is mainly seen cultivated rather than in the wild, so rarely considered noxious. 

Approximately 100 seeds, harvested for 2023.

Grown using only compost, water, & organic fertilizer, our plants are never treated or sprayed with anything at all. 

Lifecycle: Perennial

Zones: 5-8

Region: Native to southeastern Europe

Actions: Anti-inflammatory, vasodilator, emmenagogue, nervine, bitter, analgesic

Parts used: Leaves and flowers

Indications: Migraine, inflammation, arthritis, sluggish or delayed menstruation, tinnitus, dizziness. 

Planting: Feverfew is a light-dependent germinator, so press seeds into the soil surface rather than covering them with soil, and keep evenly moist until germination. After seedlings grow their second set of true leaves, move them into pots and continue growing until plants are large enough to transplant to the garden 

Spacing: 12-24"

Location: Feverfew will tolerate most any soil except wet and heavy, but prefers well-drained, sandy soil in full sun.

Germination: 10-14 days

*Like, why? Couldn’t actual Aspirin already be “housewife’s Aspirin”? Nature’s Aspirin I could almost understand, but Aspirin is already made from salicylates found in white willow bark. Make it make sense. Also, what does being a housewife have to do with anything? Does not getting married make one immune to migraines? (actually I might be onto something there) But then being male or having a job outside the home would make one immune to migraines as well, and that’s certainly not the case. Women are 2-3 times more likely to get migraines than men, and the Mayo Clinic affirms that 17% of women experience migraines as opposed to 6% of men. So while women do experience migraines at a higher rate than men, men are not immune to them. The WHO has placed migraines as one of the ten most debilitating illnesses on Earth, and yet the patriarchy has established that men cannot suffer, show “weakness”, or seek treatment for pain without being told that the remedy they’re looking for is called “housewife’s Aspirin”. Because only women need help, of course. 

Our Seeds

The majority of our seeds offered are saved from our small medicinal plant farm right here in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Our plants are grown only with water, compost, & organic fertilizer. NEVER sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or anything else. 

There are some seeds that we have not been able to harvest in abundance ourselves yet, so these are provided by a farm here in Oregon that is certified organic by the USDA and Oregon Tilth. 

Important

Always check with local authorities (such as your county extension) to see if non-native plants are invasive or noxious in your region.

Noxious plants are illegal to grow and cannot be shipped across state borders. Invasive species should never be intentionally planted, but should be harvested from the wild instead. 

They may hold medicinal value but they can destroy native ecosystems and habitats. There are likely less destructive alternatives with similar medicinal value that you can plant.