| Extracts From Butterbur Are An Effective Non-drowsy Treatment For 'Hay Fever'
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2005-08-22 Science Daily
In
recent years there have been a few reports of small researchtrials
that give a mixed view about the effectiveness of Butterburextract
for treating intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR). Nowresearchers
from Germany and Switzerland have published results from arandomised,
double-blind, parallel group comparison study involving 330patients
in 11 centres. They found that treatment with butterburextract was as
effective at combating symptoms of IAR as treatment witha
conventional antihistamine (Telfast 180). In addition they found
thatButterbur extract did not cause drowsiness.
'Despite
being a herbal drug, Butterbur Ze339 has now beensubject to a series
of well controlled trials and should be consideredas an alternative
treatment for IAR,' says lead researcher AndreasSchapowal.
Butterbur
(Petasites hybridus) is a plant found throughoutEurope and Asia and
parts of North America. The roots of this planthave been used in
herbal remedies for centuries while the leaves haveonly been
introduced recently as a new herbal medicine. An extract caninhibit
the body's ability to produce leukotrienes, biomolecules thatare
involved in the inflammatory response to allergens. They also
helpstimulate the body's production of prostaglandins, chemicals that
playa role in reducing inflammation.
Finding
an alternative therapy for IAR is important partlybecause up to 20
per cent of people living in Western countries sufferfrom it.
'Because
Butterbur does not cause the sort of drowsiness thatis so often
associated with other anti-histamines it could beparticularly useful
for patients who can not tolerate other therapies,'says Schapowal.
"Treating
Intermittent Allergic Rhinitis: A Prospective, Randomized,Placebo &
Antihistamine-Controlled Study of Butterbur Extract,"
bySchapowal, Phytotherapy Research, Published Online: August 22,
2005.Available via Wiley InterScience at
http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/ptr.
Note:
This story has been adapted from a news release issued by John Wiley
& Sons, Inc..
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