Download Feverfew Aerial Parts - American Herbal Pharmacopoeia

Macroscopic Characterization
Feverfew Aerial Parts
NOMENCLATURE
Common Name:
Feverfew
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Fracture: Leaf: Brittle. Stem: Fibrous.
Aroma: Spicy, mildly camphoraceous.
Botanical Family:
Asteraceae
Parts Used:
Aerial parts
Powder: Yellowish green; somewhat gritty.
Feverfew aerial parts are harvested during the flowering
period. They are sold fresh or dried as the entire
flowering aerial parts or leaf alone. Dry material is
available cut and sifted or powdered.
A. Leaves
Pinnatisect to deeply pinnatifid; petiole pubescent, often
separated from the lamina; blade thin, ovate, 2-5 (--10)
cm long, up to 6 cm wide, having ovate or oblong lobes
that are rounded, incised or pinnatifid, with margins
crenate to entire; apex obtuse; upper surface a dull
medium green to yellowish-green, densely punctate,
with dark pits at the position of glandular trichomes
and raised areas between pits; lower surface lighter
green, pitted, major veins prominent; light-colored
hairs occur on both surfaces at variable densities, often
breaking off during handling.
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ridged longitudinally; glabrate to sparsely short hairy;
± round in transverse section, to 6 mm diameter; pith
white.
Botanical Nomenclature: Tanacetum parthenium
(L.) Sch. Bip.
MACROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION
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Taste: Bitter, acrid.
QUANTITATIVE STANDARDS
Foreign Organic Matter:
Aerial Parts: Not to exceed 10% stems having a
diameter > 5 mm and 2% other foreign matter.
Leaf: Not to exceed 10% stems and other foreign
matter.
QUALITATIVE DIFFERENTIATION
If feverfew is harvested too late in the season, the leaves
will lose their deep green color and start turning yellow.
A large proportion of yellowed leaves should not be
present in commercial material.
POTENTIAL ADULTERANTS
Historical adulterants have included other members
of the Asteraceae, especially cultivars of chamomile
(Matricaria recutita) (e.g. Snow Dwarf, Golden Ball,
Tom Thumb), which can be sold as feverfew due to
their similar leaf structure. Eastern European growers
B. Flowers
have mistakenly supplied United Kingdom companies
Axillary corymbs of 5-20 (--30) heads on long pedicels; with chamomile and tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). For a
heads radiate, 12-22 mm diameter; receptacle more complete discussion of the physical and chemical
hemispherical, 6-8 mm diameter, naked; phyllaries characterization of feverfew and its adulterants see the
imbricate, lanceolate to oblong, light green, downy, AHP Feverfew Aerial Parts monograph (forthcoming).
margins membranous; ray florets female, white to
cream, may be light-brown when dried, ligule 2-7
mm long, 1-3 mm wide, with 3 shallow lobes, may
be attached to the receptacle or separated; disk florets
hermaphrodite, yellow, tubular, 5-lobed, stamens 5,
filaments free, anthers fused, stigma bilobed.
C. Fruit
Cypsela brown, cylindric, 1.2 –1.5 mm long with 510 white longitudinal ribs, glandular, bearing a short,
crenate, membranous crown.
D. Stem
Yellow-green to straw-colored, may have a purple hue;
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Standards of Identity
Macroscopic Characterization
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Figure 1 Tanacetum parthenium voucher.
Figure 2 Tanacetum parthenium (Sowerby).
Figure 3 Tanacetum parthenium leaf (upper surface).
Figure 4 Tanacetum parthenium leaf (lower surface).
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P
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Standards of Identity
Macroscopic Characterization
A
H
Figure 5 Tanacetum parthenium fresh plant.
Figure 6 Tanacetum parthenium flower head, showing a close-up of
the disk florets.
Figure 7 Tanacetum parthenium dry flower head.
Figure 8 Tanacetum parthenium dry flower fragments.
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American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Standards of Identity
Macroscopic Characterization
Figure 9 Tanacetum parthenium cut and sifted.
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H
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Figure 10 Tanacetum parthenium cut and sifted.
Figure 11 Tanacetum parthenium powder.
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® Standards of Identity