# Plant Monograph: Boneset
**Name of plant:**
Common Boneset
**Catch phrase (Carmina Gadelica or traditional invocation if available):**
No specific *Carmina Gadelica* invocation for boneset has been identified. A suitable traditional-style phrase would be: *“For the breaking fever, for the aching bone, herb of the summer fields, bring strength again.”* This is a modern devotional formulation, not a historical quotation.
**Family:**
Asteraceae (daisy family)
**Genus and species:**
*Eupatorium perfoliatum* L.
**Other names:**
Boneset, common boneset, thoroughwort, agueweed, feverwort, sweating plant, Indian sage, crosswort. The name “boneset” is traditionally associated with its use during “breakbone fever” and with the plant's reputation for treating severe influenza-like illnesses.
**Brief introduction:**
Boneset is a tall, perennial North American herb of wet meadows, marshes, stream margins, and other moist habitats. It is readily recognized by its opposite leaves, whose bases appear to surround or “perforate” the stem, and by its clusters of small white flowers. Indigenous peoples of North America used boneset medicinally before European settlement, after which it became a prominent remedy in North American domestic medicine and nineteenth-century eclectic practice. Modern research has identified anti-inflammatory and other pharmacological activities, but the plant presents an important safety problem because some samples contain hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. ([PubMed][1])
**Traditional uses:**
* Used as a tea or decoction during fevers and febrile illnesses.
* Used traditionally for influenza-like illnesses, colds, chills, and respiratory infections.
* Used as a diaphoretic, intended to encourage sweating during fever.
* Used traditionally for rheumatic and arthritic aches and pains.
* Used externally or internally for various inflammatory complaints and digestive disturbances.
**Historical use:**
* Indigenous North American peoples employed boneset medicinally for fever and other illnesses.
* European settlers adopted boneset into domestic herbal medicine.
* It became particularly famous during nineteenth-century epidemics of influenza and other febrile diseases.
* Eclectic physicians employed it as a diaphoretic, tonic, expectorant, and remedy for fever.
* “Boneset tea” became a characteristic household remedy in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century North America. ([PubMed][1])
**Parts used and method of use:**
* Aerial parts, particularly the leaves and flowering tops.
* Fresh or dried whole herb.
Used as:
* Hot infusion or “boneset tea.”
* Decoction.
* Liquid extract or tincture in historical herbal practice.
* External wash or compress in some traditional applications.
**Use in healing (modern herbal practice):**
* Traditionally employed for uncomplicated colds and influenza-like illnesses.
* Traditionally used as a diaphoretic during fever.
* Used in traditional herbalism for inflammatory and rheumatic complaints.
* Investigated experimentally for anti-inflammatory activity.
* Investigated for antioxidant, antiplasmodial, and immunological effects, although clinical evidence remains inadequate for establishing effectiveness. ([PubMed][1])
**Pharmacology and biochemistry:**
* Eupafolin and related flavonoids.
* Caffeic-acid derivatives and other phenolic compounds.
* Sesquiterpene lactones, volatile constituents, tannins, and polysaccharides.
* Dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids including lycopsamine and intermedine have also been detected in *E. perfoliatum*. ([PubMed][1])
Mechanisms:
* Flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones may contribute to anti-inflammatory activity.
* Phenolic constituents contribute antioxidant activity.
* Some extracts have demonstrated antimicrobial or antiplasmodial activity in experimental systems.
* Pyrrolizidine alkaloids can undergo metabolic activation to reactive pyrrolic compounds capable of damaging hepatic tissue.
Overall profile: Boneset contains several pharmacologically active classes of compounds and has a substantial history of medicinal use. Experimental evidence supports anti-inflammatory activity, but clinical evidence is weak. More importantly, documented variability in pyrrolizidine-alkaloid content creates a significant hepatotoxicity concern; consequently, medicinal internal use should be approached with considerable caution. ([PubMed][1])
**Common dosage:**
Because of the demonstrated variability in pyrrolizidine-alkaloid content, a routine internal dosage cannot responsibly be recommended for unscreened boneset. Historical preparations should not be interpreted as evidence of modern safety.
* Infusion: historically approximately 1–2 g dried herb per cup, used as a tea; **not recommended for unscreened material**.
* Decoction: historically prepared from dried aerial parts; **not recommended for unscreened material**.
* Tincture: historically used in small doses according to nineteenth-century herbal practice; **not recommended without appropriate alkaloid testing and professional supervision**.
* Standardized commercial preparation: follow the manufacturer's directions only where the product has appropriate quality and pyrrolizidine-alkaloid controls.
**Safety factors (including side effects):**
* **Major concern:** some *Eupatorium perfoliatum* samples contain dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), including lycopsamine and intermedine. A 2018 investigation found PAs in all 49 boneset samples examined, although concentrations varied substantially. ([PubMed][2])
* Pyrrolizidine alkaloids can cause serious liver injury, including hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome/veno-occlusive disease.
* Internal use should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding because of potential PA toxicity.
* People with liver disease should not use internally.
* Long-term, repeated, or high-dose internal use is particularly concerning because PA toxicity may be delayed and cumulative.
* Allergic reactions are possible in people sensitive to Asteraceae plants.
* Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal irritation may occur with medicinal preparations.
* Because hot-water infusions and decoctions were also found to contain PAs, simply preparing boneset as a tea does **not** eliminate the principal safety concern. ([PubMed][2])
**First aid / adverse reaction response:**
* Suspected poisoning or ingestion of a large quantity: contact a poison-information service or emergency medical service promptly.
* Persistent nausea, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, unusual fatigue, or abdominal swelling after use: discontinue the herb and seek urgent medical assessment for possible liver injury.
* Severe allergic reaction: seek emergency medical attention immediately.
* Vomiting, severe diarrhea, or dehydration: discontinue use, maintain hydration if able, and seek medical care if symptoms are severe or persistent.
**Drug interactions:**
* Potential additive hepatotoxicity with other substances or medications capable of injuring the liver.
* Because pyrrolizidine alkaloids are hepatotoxic, concurrent use with other PA-containing herbal products should be avoided.
* Theoretical concern exists with medicines having significant hepatic metabolism or narrow safety margins if liver injury develops.
* General interaction data for boneset are limited; the absence of reported interactions should not be interpreted as evidence of safety.
**Horticultural requirements:**
* USDA / Canadian zone: Approximately USDA zones 3–9; suitable for much of southern and central Canada.
* Soil pH: Approximately 5.0–7.0.
* Light requirements: Full sun to partial shade.
* Moisture: Consistently moist to wet soil; performs particularly well in marshy or poorly drained ground.
* Other notes (growth habit, harvest timing, etc.):
* **Growth habit:** Upright, clump-forming perennial, commonly reaching approximately 1–1.5 m.
* **Flowering/fruiting:** White flower clusters appear from midsummer into early autumn; seeds mature afterward.
* **Harvest timing:** Traditionally harvested when the aerial parts are flowering, generally in summer.
* **Habitat:** Wet meadows, marshes, floodplains, stream banks, ditches, and moist open woodland.
* **Propagation/cultivation notes:** Propagated from seed or division. It benefits from consistently moist soil and can spread into suitable wet ground.
**Sampling of clinical reports / studies:**
* A 2011 review of *Eupatorium perfoliatum* concluded that historical and experimental evidence supports investigation of the plant's traditional uses, particularly its anti-inflammatory activity, but that available clinical evidence did not meet modern Good Clinical Practice standards. ([PubMed][1])
* Experimental research has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity associated with ethanolic extracts and compounds including eupafolin and sesquiterpene lactones. ([PubMed][1])
* A major 2018 phytochemical investigation of 49 boneset samples identified dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids in all samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.0002–0.07% by weight and substantial variation between samples. ([PubMed][2])
* Ethnobotanical literature documents extensive medicinal use of boneset among Indigenous North American peoples and subsequent adoption into European-American domestic medicine. ([PubMed][1])
* **Overall assessment of evidence:** Boneset has strong historical and ethnobotanical significance and interesting experimental pharmacology, but insufficient high-quality clinical evidence for established therapeutic efficacy. The discovery of variable and potentially toxic pyrrolizidine-alkaloid content substantially changes its modern risk-benefit profile and argues against casual internal use. ([PubMed][2])
[1]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22004891/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Eupatorium perfoliatum L.: phytochemistry, traditional use and current applications."
[2]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29968391/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Potentially toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Eupatorium perfoliatum and three related species. Implications for herbal use as boneset - PubMed"
Educational Use Only: The information presented on this page is provided for educational, historical, and informational purposes only. ArdNemeton na Tuatha and Bhùth Draoi do not provide medical advice. Always consult your physician and pharmacist before using any herb, mushroom, supplement, or botanical product for medicinal purposes. Traditional uses described herein do not constitute medical claims.