Petasites hybridus, the butterbur, is a species of herbaceous perennial 

flowering plant in the

family Asteraceae native to Europe and northern Asia. Although used over centuries in traditional
medicine to treat various disorders and sometimes sold as a dietary supplement, it has no
approved medical uses. Concerns about the potential toxic effects of pyrrolizidine alkaloids limit
its use in human and animal studies. This P. hybridus inflorescence was photographed in a
forest near Keila in northwestern Estonia.