Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is a herbaceous perennial native to North America that grows a few feet tall with dense clusters of small white flowers.
The leaves of Boneset are a distinguishing feature of this plant as they are “perfoliate”, or looking like they wrap around or continue past the stem.
Other species of Boneset exist with different flower colors and sometimes different uses & some are common ornamentals. Boneset likes soil with
moisture but can tolerate boggy soil, very cold weather and are long blooming and attractive as an ornamental in the garden.
Boneset flowers are good for attracting beneficial insects and butterflies to the garden and make good cut or dried flowers.
Boneset’s plant parts have been used in folk crafts, where its leaves were sometimes woven into textiles, particularly for medicinal wraps. The plant has also been used in some dyeing practices, imparting a yellowish hue.
Boneset has been used as a traditional medicine for many years, as the Native Americans used it to induce sweating and help break fevers and the common cold.
In fact, it is amazing how widely among the Native American tribes this plant was used as a cold remedy and for breaking fevers, as it was documented for the Cherokee, Delaware, Iroquois, Menominee, Mohegan, Nanticoke, Seminole, and Shinnecock!
Boneset’s common name comes from the fact it was used traditionally for a condition called “breakbone fever,” which is an old name for dengue fever. This illness causes such intense muscle and joint pain that sufferers felt as if their bones were breaking. The “bonesetting” use of Boneset likelyhas more having to do with the fact that it would reduce fever and deep pain and aches, thereby ‘setting the bones’.
Other traditional uses that were later adopted by the settlers include rheumatism, malaria, flu, yellow fever and dengue fever.
As Boneset may contain the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids caution is advised.
Boneset is also commonly used in homeopathic medicines, especially for the target of the common cold.
Through scientific investigation, anti-inflammatory activity has been confirmed and is thought to be the reason for such broad use in colds, rheumatism, and arthritis. Other activities confirmed through scientific investigation include antipyretic, diaphoretic, analgesic, and mild laxative activities. Boneset has been shown in an in vitro study to protect cells from Influenza A virus by inhibiting its attachment to host cells.
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**This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.