Botanical Name: Eupatorium purpureum | Family: Compositae
Common name(s): Joe-Pye Weed, Trumpet Weed, Purple Boneset, Queen of the meadow, Kidney root
GROWING
- Perennial | Zones 3-8 | 5-6 feet tall | Purple to white flowers August and September
- Distinguishable by the ~1-inch purple band around the leaf joint.
- Found in low places and meadows, often where it is damp
HARVESTING
Harvest the root in the fall.
PREPARATION / DOSAGE
Decoction: Put 1 teaspoon in 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drink 3x/day.
Tincture: 10-30 drops, 3x/day.
MEDICAL
Constituents: Volatile oil, euparin (a flavonoid), resin
Actions: Antirheumatic, antilithic, carminative, diuretic
Uses: Kidney stones, most urinary tract issues including incontinence and rheumatism
CHINESE MEDICINE
- Bitter, pungent, neutral
SOURCES
- Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Lawrence Newcomb
- Indian Herbology of North America, Alma R. Hutchens
- The Complete Medicinal Herbal, Penelope Ody
- The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra
- Holistic Herbal, David Hoffman
- photo credit: jdy223 blo RBGB yard elo XX20130811a1222.jpg via photopin (license)
I looked up gravel root only to find out it is Joe-Pye Weed, which is how I know it. I did find out how it got that name while writing up this materia medica. It was named after a New England medicine man who used it to cure typhus. Interesting discoveries while doing my herbal studies. I just LOVE this stuff!
I have Joe-Pye Weed in my orchard – although I believe it is Eastern Joe-Pye Weed (E. dubium). And as you can see from this picture (not mine), the butterflies love it!
