[Dailydrool] allergies & itchies - butterbur

[Esther Strom]

Since Basil's incontinence meds have also stopped working, I was curious to see 
what butterbur was. I googled it, and the first result was the WebMD listing, 
which raises some serious concerns:

"Some butterbur products may contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), and that’s 
the major safety concern. PAs can damage the liver, lungs, 
and blood circulation, and possibly cause cancer. Butterbur products that 
contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are UNSAFE when taken by mouth or applied 
to broken skin. Broken skin allows chemicals to be absorbed into the body. Do 
not use butterbur products unless they are certified and labeled as free of PAs.
PA-free butterbur products are POSSIBLY SAFE for adults and children when taken 
by mouth appropriately. PA-free root extracts seem to be safe when used for up 
to 16 weeks in adults. There is some evidence that a specific PA-free butterbur 
extract (Petadolex, Weber&Weber, GmbH & Co, Germany) can be safely used in 
children who are 6-17 years old for up to 4 months.

Not enough is known about the safety of using PA-free butterbur products on 
unbroken skin. Don’t use it.

PA-free butterbur is generally well tolerated. It can cause belching, headache, 
itchyeyes, diarrhea, asthma, upset stomach, fatigue, and drowsiness. However, it 
seems to cause less drowsiness and fatigue than cetirizine (Zyrtec). Butterbur 
products might cause allergic reactions in people who are allergic to ragweed, 
marigolds, daisies, and other related herbs.
Special Precautions & Warnings:Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taking butterbur by 
mouth is LIKELY UNSAFE. Butterbur preparations containing pyrrolizidine 
alkaloids (PAs) might cause birth defects and liver damage. Not enough is known 
about the safety of using butterbur products that do not contain PAs during 
pregnancy or breast-feeding. Don’t use it.

Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Butterbur may cause an allergic 
reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family. 
Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and 
many others. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare 
provider before taking butterbur.

Liver disease: There is some concern that butterbur might make liver disease 
worse. Don’t take it."

Just an FYI, in case you didn't know. 




________________________________

I've done the allergy testing on a couple of my bassets (current &
former) and recommend having that done if you can.  We've also done
food elimination diet.
I use the antihistamine chlorphenarmine - under $3 at wal-mart for
generic.  I recently started using the herb butterbur in capsule form.
Been trying it for Hal's itchies for 2 weeks. He seems less itchy and
coat seems less "tacky".  Been using it for my seasonal allergies too.
After reading the studies done comparing butterbur to Zyrtec, thought
I'd give it a try.
Apparently, it is also used for incontinence... so, since Sara Sue's
elimination diet results point to an environmental allergy and since
the prescription meds have stopped working for her incontinence...
I've also started her on it.
vikki
spencer, sara sue, hal e bear
beloved sebastian and natasha atb
_______________________________________________
Dailydrool mailing list
Dailydrool at lists.dailydrool.org
http://lists.dailydrool.org/listinfo.cgi/dailydrool-dailydrool.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20110330/98022491/attachment-0002.htm>