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Butterbur

Supplement botanical general nutrition
Aka: Petasites hybridus, PA-free butterbur
Brands seen in Singapore: Nutricost, Vitacost, Nature's Way, Solaray, Eu Natural
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Migraine frequency and hay-fever symptoms in trials
Studied for
Pa-free products studied by mouth for up to 16 weeks
Pros & cons
Pros
  • NCCIH: root extract may cut migraine frequency
  • NCCIH: leaf extract may ease allergic rhinitis
  • Livertox: side effects uncommon and mild in trials
Cons
  • Contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids — pa-free forms only
  • The aan stopped recommending it in 2015 on safety
  • Rare liver injury reported in 'pa-free' products too
Sources
  1. NCCIH — Butterbur: Usefulness and Safety (last updated November 2024), efficacy section · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A butterbur root extract may reduce the frequency of migraines … a butterbur leaf extract … may be helpful for symptoms of allergic rhinitis … the Academy stopped recommending it in 2015 because of serious concerns about its safety”
  2. NCCIH — Butterbur: Usefulness and Safety (last updated November 2024), 'What Do We Know About Safety?' section · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The butterbur plant contains substances called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). PAs can damage the liver and lungs and may cause cancer … there have been rare cases of liver injury associated with products that were reported to be PA-free”
  3. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury — Butterbur monograph, NBK547997 (NIDDK) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “the typical oral dosage is 100 to 150 mg per day in 2 to 3 divided doses. Side effects of butterbur are uncommon and mild, and include gastrointestinal upset, eructation, nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness”
  4. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A (105 rows) and Annex B (4 rows) — read from the cached PDF text on disk · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  5. HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines, GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), section 4.8 with Tables 4 and 5 (vitamins and minerals limits) — read from the cached PDF text on disk · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.”
  6. HSA — Health Supplements Guidelines, GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), section 6.6 and Table 6: diseases/conditions not allowed for health supplements — read from the cached PDF text on disk · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS must not be labelled, advertised or promoted for any specific medicinal purpose … Immune system: Leprosy, AIDS, allergies, immunisation … Respiratory system: Asthma, tuberculosis, bronchitis, sinusitis, cough, cold, flu”
  7. iHerb Singapore — Butterbur category page, default (best-selling) order, read 27 Aug 2026 via WebFetch · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Butterbur … Nutricost … Vitacost … Nature's Way … Solaray … Eu Natural … NOW Foods”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.