Butterbur: Is it safe?
The discussion is continuing about the safety of butterbur, especially after the release of a study earlier this year affirming the safety of Petadolex, a well-known butterbur supplement.
One of the study’s authors, Dr. Jurgen Borlak, has actually been a consultant for the manufacturer of Petadolex, although the company did not have input into the study.
A brief background – there have been concerns about toxicity to the liver in butterbur supplements. Specifically, the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in butterbur are what should be avoided. So at the very least, you should be looking for supplements that are specifically labelled PA-free. We still don’t have long term studies, but so far the study results are good.
However, there have been questions even about high quality “PA-free” supplements like Petadolex, and just how carefully they are manufactured.
More recent information has led the American Headache Society to lend their support to true PA-free butterbur products.
But – is the label really enough to give you confidence? Due to recent concerns about supplements not containing what they’re supposed to, never mind having details about the extraction process, many studies are sticking close to specific butterbur brands, in particular, Petadolex itself (which would include the Nature’s Way version above). So there seems to be good reason to remain cautious.
My understanding is that Petadolex is now available for purchase in Germany (previously it was not allowed for sale due to safety concerns). I don’t think it’s available in the UK yet, but maybe my readers can confirm this.
In the USA, Petadolex can be purchased here. In Canada and many other countries, you can order the Nature’s Way Petadolex from iHerb.
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