Feverfew as a preventive treatment for migraine: a systematic review

Background: Feverfew is a popular herbal remedy advocated for the preventio n of migraine. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to look at the ev idence for or against the clinical effectiveness of feverfew in migraine pr evention. Data sources: Literature searches were performed using the follow ing databases: Medline, Embase, Biosis, CISCOM, and the Cochrane Library (a ll from their inception to April 1998). Study selection: Only randomized, p lacebo-controlled, double-blind trials were included. Data extraction: All articles were read by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted in a p redefined, standardized fashion. The methodological qualify of all trials w as evaluated using the Jadad score. Main results: Five trials met the inclu sion/exclusion criteria. The majority favor feverfew over placebo Yet impor tant caveats exist. Conclusion: The clinical effectiveness of feverfew in t he prevention of migraine has not been established beyond reasonable doubt.