Boneset - Eupatoria perfoliatum

Boneset is a plant of marshy places, which is where I harvest it. It has nothing to do with setting bones. The name comes from its use as a diaphoretic. It has been used to induce sweating to break a fever, specifically Dengue or break-bone fever with its terrible musculoskeletal pain. It has been used for malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid, again to break the fevers. It enjoyed widespread use among indigenous people in North America.

Boneset has been shown in studies to be antiviral against influenza A. Studies disagree about how strongly active it is. 1

An extract of the flowering aerial parts of E. perfoliatum exhibited significant activity against Plasmodium falciparum (Pfc, Malaria tropica). 2

Studies have shown that the quercetin in boneset is preventative against infection with Dengue (breakbone) Fever. 3

Boneset has been shown to induce lymph angiogenesis, which is the creation of new lymphatic vessels from existing ones. This could lead to treatments for lymphedema, chronic inflammation, and delayed wound healing. 4  

Tincture dosing is 2-3 ml 3 times a day for adults. Start slowly as allergies and intolerances are always possible. It should not be used long-term, but to treat occasional conditions. It contains pyrrolizidines and should not be used if liver disease is present. It is a mild diuretic. It should not be eaten fresh; it contains a toxic chemical called tremerol that is eliminated by drying. It can cause stomach distress and vomiting in large amounts. For more information on studies check out Google Scholar. 

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

1 Andrea Derksen, Joachim Kühn, Wali Hafezi, Jandirk Sendker, Christina Ehrhardt, Stephan Ludwig, Andreas Hensel, Antiviral activity of hydroalcoholic extract from Eupatorium perfoliatum L. against the attachment of influenza A virus, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Voume 188, 2016, Pages 144-152, ISSN 0378-8741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.016. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874116302793
2 Mareike Maas, Andreas Hensel, Fernando Batista da Costa, Reto Brun, Marcel Kaiser, Thomas J. Schmidt, An unusual dimeric guaianolide with antiprotozoal activity and further sesquiterpene lactones from Eupatorium perfoliatum, Phytochemistry, Volume 72, Issue 7, 2011, Pages 635-644, ISSN 0031-9422, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2011.01.025.
3 Moonmoon Sinha, Urmita Chakraborty, Anirban Kool, Mousumi Chakravarti, Souvik Das, Sandip Ghosh, Lovnish Thakur, Anil Khuranna, Debadatta Nayak, Biswarup Basu, Subhabrata Kar, Raja Ray, Satadal Das, In-vitro antiviral action of Eupatorium perfoliatum against dengue virus infection: Modulation of mTOR signaling and autophagy, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 282, 2022, 114627, ISSN 0378-8741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2021.114627.
4 Jihye Kim, Epameinondas Gousopoulos, Teresa M. Faleschini, Matthias Hamburger, Olivier Potterat, Michael Detmar, Pheophorbide a identified in a Eupatorium perfoliatum extract is a novel lymphatic vascular activator, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 147, 2022, 112664, ISSN 0753-3322, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112664