Butterbur More Effective Than Allegra (Fexofenadine) For Nasal Allergies

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effects of Butterbur extract were compared to fexofenadine (Allegra) for perennial nasal allergies. Sixteen patients were given either Butterbur extract for a week or fexofenadine in the cross-over study.

Three measures of effectiveness were recorded for both Butterbur and fexofenadine:

1. Peak Nasal Air Inflow
2. Effectiveness after 60 Minutes
3. Total Nasal Symptom Score

Butterbur extract was superior to fexofenadine in Peak Nasal Air Inflow and Effectiveness after 60 Minutes, and both Butterbur extract and fexofenadine were significantly superior to placebo. Butterbur extract and fexofenadine were equally effective in the Total Nasal Symptom Score.

The results highlight a potential role for Butterbur extract in nasal allergies.

     In a 7 year baseline survey and subsequent 18 year follow-up, 8,678 women were studied to determine if multivitamin use reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease death. When multivitamins were used for more than 3 years, women were found to have a 35% reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The researchers concluded:

We found an association between multivitamin use of >3 years and reduced cardiovascular disease mortality risk for women when models controlled for age, race, education, body mass index, alcohol, aspirin use, serum lipids, blood pressure, and blood glucose/glycated hemoglobin.