We no longer recommend butterbur to our patients. We participated in a large (245 patients) placebo-controlled trial of butterbur, which showed that 150 mg of butterbur is effective in the prevention of migraine headaches when compared to placebo. The results were published in the leading neurological journal – Neurology and the American Academy of Neurology recently endorsed the use of butterbur for the prevention of migraine headaches. Because butterbur is highly toxic to the liver and can cause cancer we were very happy to have a highly purified product manufactured in Germany (sold as Petadolex and other brands), where it had to pass strict safety studies. However, Germany is no longer allowing butterbur to be sold there because the manufacturer changed its purification process and did not repeat all of the required safety studies. Butterbur made in Germany and in the US is still sold in the US, but our FDA does not regulate herbal products and does not require the extensive safety tests that are required in Germany. This is why we no longer recommend butterbur for our patients.
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