🌿 Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Also known as: Thoroughwort • Feverwort • Agueweed
Family: Asteraceae (Daisy family — related to ragweed)
Origin: Native to North America
Parts used: Dried leaves and flowering tops
Primary use: Internal & External

✨ Description

Bitter, powerful, and deeply restorative, Boneset is one of North America’s most respected traditional herbs for fevers, seasonal ailments, and immune recovery. Its name comes from early herbalists who used it to “set the bones” — not for fractures, but to soothe the deep, aching chills that often accompany fevers and viral illnesses.

With a strong, earthy aroma and unmistakably bitter flavor, Boneset supports sweating, detoxification, and immune response, helping the body release what no longer serves it and restore balance from within.

🍵 Dried Herb Uses

As an immune and detoxifying tonic:

Fever & Cold Support: Promotes natural sweating and immune defense during colds, flu, and seasonal changes.
Lymphatic & Circulatory Cleanser: Helps move lymph and clear congestion throughout the system.
Digestive Stimulation: Its bitterness wakes up the liver and gallbladder, improving digestion and elimination.
Detox & Cleansing: Encourages gentle removal of waste through sweat and fluids, supporting deep cellular cleansing.

Directions (Internal Use):
Steep 1 teaspoon of dried herb in 8 oz of hot water for 10–15 minutes.
Drink 1 cup up to 2–3 times daily during periods of immune weakness or seasonal imbalance.
Boneset pairs beautifully with Elderflower, Peppermint, and Yarrow for cold and flu blends.

💧 External Uses

Use as a warm compress or soak for sore joints, muscle aches, or lymphatic congestion.
Add to detox baths with Epsom salt and Ginger for deep relaxation.
In traditional folk remedies, Boneset tea was sometimes used as a wash for fevers or skin irritation.

🌿 Pairing Suggestions

Elderflower & Peppermint – for cold and flu relief.
Yarrow or Ginger – for circulation and fever support.
Dandelion or Burdock Root – for liver and lymph cleansing.
Bee Pollen or Nettle Leaf – to restore minerals after detox.

🌼 Harvest & Sourcing

Our Boneset is wild-harvested from clean meadows and riverbanks in late summer, just before flowering.
Leaves and tops are shade-dried to retain their full bitterness and potency, ensuring the highest concentration of active compounds like eupatorin and sesquiterpene lactones.

⚖️ Energetics & Taste

Taste: Intensely bitter, earthy, and herbal.
Energetic profile: Cooling, drying, and cleansing.
Pairs well with: Elderflower, Yarrow, Ginger, and Dandelion.

⚠️ Warnings

Allergy caution: May cause a reaction in those sensitive to ragweed, daisies, or marigolds.
Not for pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Use only in moderation — large doses can cause nausea or vomiting due to its strong bitter compounds.
Consult a healthcare practitioner before use if taking blood pressure or liver medications.

🌻 A Note from the Herbalist

Resilient and ancient, Boneset carries the energy of recovery — the wisdom of the body’s ability to heal through release. It doesn’t suppress symptoms; it assists the process, encouraging the body to sweat, cleanse, and restore balance.

This is an herb for rest, renewal, and strength — the quiet power behind natural recovery.