Hasty Helpful Weeds - Joe Pye Weed

 

‘Hasty’ Helpful Weeds – Joe Pye Weed

“Because sweet flowers are slow

And weeds make haste…”

Shakespeare

Joe Pye Weed -   (Eupatorium purpurea)

Description

Joe Pye weed, with its fuzzy purple flowers, and twisting leaves, is a striking vision in late summer. This native plant can grow to a majestic height of 6 ft., or more, often dominating wet, marshy landscapes in meadows and waste places. The lance-shaped, toothed leaves have a single main vein, and grow in whorls of 3-6. They are 3-8 inches long, with a fine downy hair on their undersides.

E. purpurea is a member of the composite family, which means that each “flower” is made up from 9 to 22 distinct individual flowers per head. The colorful flower buds can remain unopened for weeks before giving way to the feathery mature flowers, which are also long blooming. The flower cluster grows on a stout stem, which is purple, or purple spotted.

Part Used - Root

Folk Wisdom – According to legend, Joe Pye was the name of a Native American who is said to have cured typhoid fever using this plant. In fact there is a long history of the use of this plant as a medicinal, and early Americans are said to have used it extensively. It was used as a diuretic, hence its effectiveness in treating fevers (it causes copious sweating) and to treat urinary tract infections. A poultice was also made of the leaves to treat burns.

Medicinal Uses – An alternate common name is gravel root, which refers to the plant’s ability to help dissolve bladder and kidney stones, as well as possibly preventing them in the first place. The plant is also used to treat urinary tract infections, obstructions, and prostate enlargement, as well as rheumatism and gout. It is believed that the plant helps to remove waste from the kidneys, hence its effectiveness in treating these last two conditions.

Lovely "Weeds" ; Boneset

 

“   So he uprooted, one by one,

The free things that had loved the sun,

The happy, eager, fruitful seeds

That had not known that they were weeds “

                  Edith Nesbith

Boneset – (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Color - Dull White

Height -2-5 ft. high

Blooms – July – September

Habitat – Marshes and Swamps

Native

This common plant is a member of the composite family, which means that the “flower” is actually a cluster of many tiny tubular structures, or disk flowers. There may be as many as 25 of these flowers in one cluster, each one approximately a ¼ of an inch high. It stands on a rigid hairy stem with many branches at the top of the plant. Each branch bears a cluster of flowers.

The distinctive leaves of this plant help to easily identify it. The opposite leaves grasp the stem in such a way that it appears the stem pierces the leaves. (This is called a perfoliate leaf, in which leaves or bracts, clasp a stem in such a way that they appear to be pierced by it.) The leaves are lance-shaped, toothed, and about 4-8 inches by 1-½ inches. They are rough and ornately veined.

Folk Wisdom

At one time, this humble plant was one of the most highly prized medicinal in America. Through wisdom passed on to them by Native Americans, early settlers kept these dried plants on hand as a remedy for any number of common maladies; in fact, it was even looked upon as a cure-all. Well into the 19^th century, most country homes had these plants drying amongst the barn rafters, so that they would be close at hand, when needed.

One of the plant’s common names, ague-weed, gives an indication of one of its uses: (‘ague’ being an on-set of fever, a chill, or shivering.) The name boneset was conceived due to the plant’s ability to treat ‘break bone fever’, also known as dengue fever. It was also used as an emetic (to induce vomiting) and to treat influenza, pneumonia, and as a substitute for quinine (a cure for malaria) in the treatment of typhoid.

Native Americans used an infusion of the plant to treat fevers, cold and flu, as well as to treat rheumatic and arthritic pain.

Current Research

Boneset contains sesquiterpene lactones (chemical compounds) and polysaccharides  (carbohydrates) which make the plant a strong immune stimulant. It stimulates resistance to bacterial and viral infections, and it also helps to reduce fever by inducing sweating. In addition, it also loosens phlegm, and promotes coughing, for its removal. It is helpful with sinusitis, and in particular, when there is a great deal of runny mucus.

It has also been taken for skin conditions and for worms.

Wild horehound (Eupatorium leucrifolium) and Joe Pye weed (E. purpureum) are related species, and are both used as substitutes for the plant. In addition, the Zuni tribe of southwestern U.S. used E. occidentale, another related species, for the treatment of rheumatism.

Remedy Recipes (Taken from Andrew Chevallier’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine)

For Colds, Flu, and Fevers

Herbs: Boneset (E. perfolium) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Make an infusion using ½ a teaspoon of each herb with 1 cup of hot water. Cover and let infuse for 10 minutes. Drink 3 to 4 cups per day.

High Fever

Herbs: Yarrow (Achillea millifolium) Boneset (E. perfolium) and Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens)

Remedy: Make an infusion of 1 tsp each of yarrow and boneset, with a pinch of cayenne in a cup of hot water. Brew for 5 minutes and drink hot. Take up to 4 cups per day.

Caution: Boneset can be toxic of taken in excessive doses.