A study published in the current jounal of Headache reported on research of feverfew and ginger in the treatment of headache. The study, conducted at several centers including The Headache Care Center in Springfield, Missouri; San Francisco Headache Clinic; Texas Headache Associates in San Antonio, studied 60 patients treated for 221 attacks. All subjects in the study met the International Headache Society criteria for migraine with or without aura, experiencing 2-6 attacks of migraine per month within the previous 3 months. Additionally subjects were required to be able to distinguish migraine from non-migraine headache.
The study participants were given feverfew/ginger or a placebo which matched the peppermint-like taste of the active feverfew/ginger treatment, with the investigators and research coordinator blinded to the randomization.
The results support the efficacy of sublingual feverfew/ginger in the acute treatment of migraine when administered early in the migraine attack. The evidence confirms that headache pain features, such as pulsating and increased pain from activity, were reduced, as well as associated migraine symptoms of nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia.
The lipid based sublingual feverfew/ginger was well tolerated by study participants and is believed to be compatible with other acute abortive migraine treatments. It appears safe and effective as a first-line abortive treatment for a population of migraineurs who frequently experience mild headache prior to the onset of moderate to severe headache.