Butter Bur
Botanical Description & Habitat
Petasites hybridus, p. officinalis, p. albus, and p. niveus
Family
Compositae
Habitat
River banks and damp, squelchy places in the woods
Medicinal Parts
Mainly the leaves, but also the roots
Historical Properties & Uses
Butter bur is almost totally ignored in American herbal medicine, but has been very important in European systems for hundreds of years. Above all, it is a cough remedy. Butter bur looks and is used very much like colts foot, tussilago farfara.
Butter bur is a popular cough remedy in homeopathic medicine.
Method of Action
Butter bur is Antispasmodic
Research indicates that Butter bur is antispasmodic. It has significant spasmolytic and pain-relieving properties, mostly due to the action of an angelic acid ester of sesquiterpene alcohols named petasin.
Butter bur has Gastro-intestinal Action
An extract of Butter bur has also been found to have beneficial effect on acute and chronic gastritis and gastroduodenitis, and on stomach symptoms related to autonomic dystonia. These actions were attributed to a sedative and regulatory effect on neurovegetative tone. Thus, Butter bur appears to possess two distinct actions: a tonic effect on neuro-vegetative disorders affecting the stomach and biliary system; and a spasmolytic effect usually in the control of coughs.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
Possible Interactions
Butter bur's analgesic effects may be additive with other analgesics and anesthetics. It may be inhibited by barbiturates even though CNS depressant effects may occur.
The analgesic property of butter bur may be reversed or eliminated by p-chlorophenylalanine, cyproheptadine HCl, and phenobarbital.
The CNS depressant tendency of this analgesic may be potentiated by chlorpoxthixene HCl, haloperidol, and tranquilizers.
The antacid nature of this herb may decrease or delay the absorption of nalidixic acid and the sulfonamides.
Due to the spasmolytic nature of this herb it may interact in unknown ways with CNS depressants or stimulants.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Butter bur is nontoxic in therapeutic doses.
Preparation & Administration
Tincture
Use 0.5-1.2ml
Decoction
Use 2-5g of dried root
Note: This Herbal Preparation information is a summary of data from books and articles by various authors. It is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals.
References
Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Exper. Psych., Brigham Young University. Director of Nebo Institute of Herbal Sciences. Director of Behavior Change Agent Training Institute. Director of Research, Nova Corp.
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