Symptom → Plant Sources
Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) as a tool for helping with Muscle spasm
inferred from antispasmodic action
1 source supporting Butterbur for Muscle spasm. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antispasmodic action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
This review of butterbur (Petasites hybridus) describes how its petasin sesquiterpenes inhibit leukotriene synthesis and reduce intracellular calcium, explaining its anti-inflammatory and spasmolytic properties used in migraine prophylaxis, headache, hay fever and asthma, and notes that supercritical-CO2 extraction removes the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
In an open trial, a butterbur (Petasites hybridus) root extract reduced the number, duration and severity of asthma attacks and improved peak flow and FEV1, with many patients reducing their asthma medication, supporting an antispasmodic/bronchodilator use of butterbur.
This review of butterbur (Petasites, including P. hybridus) summarises its traditional uses, phytochemistry (sesquiterpenes, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, polyphenols), pharmacology (anti-spasmolytic, anti-asthmatic, anti-migraine, anti-allergic) and toxicology.
This monograph on butterbur (Petasites hybridus) summarises its traditional and current therapeutic uses - prophylactic treatment of migraine and antispasmodic treatment of chronic cough, asthma, gastric ulcers and irritable bladder - and its constituents.