Teensy bit of tansy

In case you missed the latest edition of Phytotherapy Research you may not have heard that the folk remedy tansy is starting to get some respect – for treating herpes!

The yellow flower is found across mainland Europe and Asia. Its use has been dated back to the Middle Ages and folk names include Golden Buttons and Mugwort. People over the centuries have used it for anything from headaches to rheumatism although the scientific community has always questioned its efficacy.

“Our research focused on the anti-viral properties of tansy, especially the potential treatment it may represent for herpes,” said the lead author Professor Francisco Parra from the Universidad de Oviedo. “We currently lack an effective vaccine for either HSV-1 or HSV-2 strands of the disease, which can cause long term infections.”

Parra’s team joined a research group led by Dr. Solomon Habtemariam from the University of Greenwich. His team studies medicinal plants to establish the science of traditional or folk medications.

“Our study revealed that parthenolide is not one of the major anti HSV-1 principles of tansy, as has been suggested. However we found that tansy does contain known antiviral 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA) as well as axillarin, which contributes to its antiherpetic effect,” said Parra. “This shows that multiple properties of the plant are responsible for the supposed antiviral activity of tansy.” That’s exactly what I was thinking.

In any case, “Although the precise molecular targets for tansy extract require further research this study reveals the clear potential of tansy to treat the dermatological lesions cause by HSV,” explained Parra in words even I can understand. “This shows that systematic pharmacological and phytochemical studies such as this can play pivotal roles in the modernization of European traditional herbal medicines.” He almost lost me again.

Source: Wiley-Blackwell, ScienceDaily