The therapeutic activity of feverfew on migraines and epilepsy may be due to its GABA-benzodiazepine modulatory effects. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Bioassay-guided isolation of apigenin with GABA-benzodiazepine activity from Tanacetum parthenium.
Phytother Res. 2009 Nov;23(11):1642-4. PMID: 19441011
Extracts of Tanacetum parthenium are used in the prophylactic treatment of migraine and have also been used in Danish folk medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. An ethanol extract of T. parthenium showed high affinity for the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine site. An ethanol extract of T. parthenium was fractionated by VLC on silica and preparative C18 HPLC. Each step was monitored with the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine bioassay. The fractionation led to the isolation of apigenin, which may be responsible for CNS-effects of T. parthenium extracts.