FEVERFEW is a biannual herb that grows very prolifically in our region – Edmonton, Alberta. Bushy, ferny even. Drought resistant, will grow well in full or diffused sun. Very hardy. 
By the end of June, you’ll get profuse amounts of compact little gorgeous daisy like flowers that are perfect for fresh bouquets in the kitchen. Don’t pick them all though because it self seeds. I always have dozens growing throughout my garden so I am in no danger (anymore) of not having some come back next year – no matter how many I cut for bouquets.
Using FEVERFEW
Feverfew leaves are used to treat migraines and lesser headaches. You simply pick the leaves and eat them in which ever way you find most suitable. They can be chopped up and put in salad or a sandwich. They have a bitter taste so it’s my opinion that it is best to disguise them by eating with something else. They say that a few leaves daily is sufficient as a preventative. 
I got my first plants from my mother in law more than 20 years ago. She made a point of eating a few fresh leaves every day in the warm seasons and was convinced it helped manage her migraines. That is what interested me initially in Feverfew, and I subsequently did quite a bit of reading about it over the years. I noted when I worked in a health food store that many people purchased feverfew for headaches and they swore it made all the difference. It is not a pain killer. It is a ‘preventative’. When asking many customers how it helped them, they would universally tell me that by taking a small amount every single day, their migraines were less frequent and much more manageable when they did come. That sounded pretty wonderful to me. There is also compelling evidence that feverfew is helpful for menstrual cramps.
Personally, I am not prone to headaches. Good thing, because I have a very low tolerance for them. Lucky me I haven’t had a headache in years and I have never had a migraine in my life, but I like the idea of growing an herb that has so much respect medicinally. Since I have some members of my family who are prone to migraines I decided years ago that I would always have some in my garden. If you are not able to grow your own feverfew, you can buy it in your favourite health food store, or if you grow it, but want some during the winter, dry it and either make it into a tea (with some pleasant tasting mint because it doesn’t have a great taste itself), or powder it and put into capsules to swallow. Be smart about quantity. One should do it.
The ferny bushy plant flowers pretty much all summer long! 
Because it is a biennial – meaning it grows for only two years, going to seed the second year in late summer, I allow some flowers to ‘ripen’ and go to seed. I then take the seed and sprinkle them generously throughout my flower garden and herb garden. They come up profusely and I simply pull what I don’t want. After all, a weed is only “a plant growing where it doesn’t belong“. If you don’t let the plant go to seed, or then sprinkle the seeds around, you may find yourself with none the next year as I did. A mistake I only made once.
Growing:
Feverfew is a cheerful, ferny plant with lots of pretty small white daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers. It is adaptable and low maintenance. It loves full sun and well drained soil, but is agreeable to partial shade. When the flowers are mature / ripe, their yellow centers will begin to dry and brown into seeds. I usually take two or three of these seed heads and sprinkle them among my entire garden. That will give me hundreds of volunteer pop-up plants for next summer. They are a biennial which means they flower and go to seed in their second year. They don’t come back the next spring, but lots of little feverfew babies do. Like Charlotte in E.B. White’s classic children’s tale CHARLOTTE’S WEB.
In its second year, in a favourable spot it can grow to up to 20 inches. A nice bushy, ferny plant. Feverfew is easy to remove where you don’t want it, and its easy to transplant too. Its just an easy going friend, who doesn’t take offense. I allow it to grow profusely in my herb garden, flower gardens and even a few in my vegetable garden. Just because we’re friends, and we get along well.
Harvesting:
So easy and straight forward. Best to clip from a second year plant when its in flower. If you are using feverfew fresh, it’s best to cut it as you need it. Just remove and leaf and chew it. Good luck. It taste terrible. Try doing what my mother-in-law suggested. Put it in your mouth with something better and get it over with quickly.
When harvesting for winter use, cut only 1/3 of the plant to let it rejuvenate for a second same-season harvest. Cut the stems, leaving about 4 inches. Swish the stems in cool water to wash and flick off excess water. Lay the leaves flat out on a screen or clean tea towel to dry, tossing a couple of times a day till completely dry. Or if you prefer, tie feverfew branches in a bundle and allow to dry hanging upside down in a dark, ventilated and dry area.
You can also dry feverfew in a slow oven at 140 degrees F. ) or a dehydrator. Just keep an eye on it, because it won’t take as long as you might think.
Using
Feverfew is such a pretty plant, it brings me joy. The taste however, . . . it may have medicinal qualities, but it would never make it in the kitchen. That’s okay. You can’t be every thing to everybody. The taste is strong and bitter to me. My mother-in-law said she’d have to put it in a mouthful of something else to eat it. And that is exactly what I would have to do. Be creative. You only have to eat one leaf.
Feverfew is NOT a pain reliever, so don’t take it when you’re in the middle of a migraine. It is a preventative. I have never suffered from a migraine, and rarely get bad headaches, but those who take one pill a day, or one leaf a day as prevention, swear by it. It is effective in decreasing frequency and severity, and many people I have spoken to about it, say that their headaches are significantly fewer and more manageable.
It is also used to relieve chronic premenstrual cramping.
It deserves an honoured place in my garden, and it is a pleasant bonus for me that the flowers are so pretty. I highly recommend growing feverfew in your herb or flower garden. At the very least, it will be a pretty little flower. And if you’re prone to migraines it has the potential to become your best friend.
Total Win / Win
I’d love to hear your experience with Feverfew.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle