PETASITES Mill. - BUTTERBUR
Scientific Description:
Perennial rhizomatous herbs, subdioecious. Leaves mostly basal, developing with or after flowers and continuing to increase in size after flowering. Inlorescence a panicle. Capitula heterogamous, disciform. Involucre campanulate; phyllaries 1−3-seriate. Receptacle flat, naked. “Male” capitula with a few filiform female flowers and many tubular functionally male flowers; “female” capitula with a few sterile tubular flowers and many filiform female flowers. Flowers reddish-violet to white. Achenes cylindrical, glabrous, ribbed. Pappus hairs scabrous.
Reference:
Matthews VA (1975). Petasites Miller, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 169.
Public Description:
Petasites, commonly known as “butterbur”, is native to Asia, Europe and North America. There are 19 species in the world and 2 species (2 taxa) in Türkiye. They are perennial plants with thick, creeping underground rhizomes and large rhubarb-like leaves. The butterbur has been used for over 2000 years in the treatment of various diseases including fever, lung disease, spasms, and pain. Nowadays, butterbur extracts are used for migraine prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis. Their extracts may contain harmful components called “pyrrolizidine alkaloids” if the preparations are not carefully and fully purified, in which chemicals are toxic to the liver and may cause cancers. Thus, taking butterbur supplements is not recommended, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2017). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites, Accessed date: 22.06.2017.
Anonymous 2 (2017). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Compositae/Petasites/, Accessed date: 22.06.2017
Ekim T (2012). Petasites Mill., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 185–186.
.JPG)