Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a plant from Asia Minor and the Balkans that has been used in herbal medicine for thousands of years. Dried leaves, fresh leaves, and tinctures of feverfew are consumed for medical purposes.
Harvesting feverfew at the right time and in the right manner is crucial. In addition, you can harvest feverfew in early or midsummer. Because the essential oils in feverfew are peaking in this season due to blooming well.
Although feverfew is a member of the mint family, it has unique chemicals. One called parthenolide is present in feverfew leaves. It’s possible that parthenolide and other components in feverwort can help reduce migraine attacks.
Feverfew is most frequently used to treat migraine headaches. Feverfew is also used to help with itching, tension headache, and a variety of other ailments. However, there is no scientific evidence to support these uses.
Now, one can easily grow and harvest feverfew. Let me tell you about it.
First, I will tell you a bit more about the feverfew plant.
About Fever
The feverfew plant, also known as feather few, bachelor’s buttons, and featherfoil, has been used in past times to cure a range of ailments including headaches, arthritis, and as the name implies, fever. Parthenolide is the active component in the feverfew plant that is being studied for pharmaceutical usage.
Feverfew is a perennial plant that grows to approximately 20 inches (50 cm.) tall and has yellow flowers with five-petaled margins. It is native to central and southern Europe and can be found in the United States.
The sky-blue flowers are tiny, white, and daisy-like. They have a brilliant yellow center. Some gardeners claim that the leaves have a citrus fragrance about them. Others feel that the scent is harsh. They all agree that if you plant feverfew once it’s infected with a growing fever, it will become invasive.
Growing feverfew in your garden may be a wonderful way to add interest and beauty to it. Feverfew plants or seeds can be found at many gardening shops. Knowing how to do so is the key. You can grow feverfew from seed either indoors or outside.
How To Grow Feverfew?
Feverfew seeds may be purchased from catalogs or found in local garden centers’ seed racks. Despite its Latin name, which translates to “feverfew,” it is also called Tanacetum Parthenium.
The feverfew seeds are small, and they’re best planted in pots filled with moist, loamy dirt. Sprinkle some seeds into the container and press the base of the container on the counter to bring them into place.
Spray the seeds with water every day to keep them moist, since pouring water can dislodge them. In two weeks, you should observe indications of feverfew seed germination when placed in a sunny window or under a grow light.
Plant the seedlings, pot and all, into a sunny garden location when they are approximately 3 inches (7.5 cm.) tall and water them until the roots establish themselves.
Growing Feverfew In Garden Using Seeds
If you want to grow feverfew in your garden, follow the same procedure. In early spring, sow the seed as soon as possible after it is harvested. Make sure the seeds are fully covered with soil and lightly pressed down to make good contact.
Don’t cover the seeds; they need sunshine to germinate. Water the feverfew plants with a fine mist rather than washing them away, as you would indoors. In about 14 days, your feverfew herb should sprout. When the plants are between 3 and 5 inches (7.5 and 10 cm.), thin them to 15 inches (38cm) apart.
If you want to grow feverfew in a different location than an herb garden, the only guideline is that it be sunny. They prefer loamy soil but are not picky. Moreover, they get leggy indoors. In addition, they do well in outdoor containers, though.
Because feverfew is a perennial, once the frost has passed, cut it back to the ground and expect it to reappear in the spring. It re-generates easily, so you may wind up giving away new plants after a few years. The flower of feverfew Hibiscus Articulatus blooms between July and October.
How To Harvest Feverfew?
The leaves and blooms may be collected and used medicinally, as well.
The optimum time to pick flowers is just after they begin blooming, which is usually in the early to mid-summer – the leaves may be taken any time of year.
Most essential oils are present in the plant while it is flowering, but they peak early on.
When producing flowers, it is important to harvest them when they are at their peak.
The seeds are not edible, but you might want to gather some for planting in the future.
Allow the seed heads to dry after harvesting. After they’ve dried, cut them and hang them upside down in a paper bag in a cool, dry place for a few days. The tiny seeds should be shaken out of the bag and collected.
Harvesting Feverfew
Expect to gather on a hot, dry day.
Wait until the dew has evaporated in the early morning. Choose healthy foliage, removing any parts that appear to be sick or damaged.
With gardening shears or a sharp knife, cut foliage and blooms neatly without removing the bottom two-thirds of the plant.
When you transplant flowering and non-flowering plants, be sure to leave some blooms and foliage behind. Gather only a third of the plant at a time so that it may develop further. You can harvest again after approximately a few weeks.
The plant will bloom continuously throughout the summer, ending in September.
Preserving Feverfew
I have explained my feverfew preserving method through the following points. Have a look.
- It is frequently used as a tea or tincture, although it can also be made into capsules and used to make homemade insect repellent.
- Tie a few cut stalks together and hang them upside down in a dry, dark spot for up to a week to air dry.
- You may also use a dehydrator or an oven set to 140°F for slow dehydration.
- Using a low setting will help to keep the essential oils – you want the leaves to be dry and dusty before storing them, but not so dry that they fall apart when you pick them up!
- Remove the leaves and blooms from the stalks once they’re dry, and store them in a tightly sealed glass jar in a dark cupboard. To avoid headaches, make tea with dried leaves and flowers.
The tea may also be cooled and used on the skin as an insect repellant, or it may be utilized as a natural flea wash on dogs if you’re not allergic or sensitive to it. Always test a small region of your skin before applying it, and see a medical professional if you have any concerns about whether it’s okay for you to use.
To a cup of boiling water, add a quarter cup of fresh leaves and blooms – or 2 teaspoons dried – and let steep for five minutes before straining and chilling.
Bottom Line
Harvesting feverfew at the right time and right manner are very important. As I have mentioned, you can harvest your feverfew in early midsummer. Further, you can dry them and preserve them to make tasty feverfew tea.
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