Feverweed
Parts Usually Used
The entire plant
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Feverweed is a sticky and hairy, annual or perennial plant; the numerous stems are 1-4 feet high and bear opposite, fern-like leaves, 1-3 inches long, which are pinnately lobed and deeply serrate. The large, yellow, bell-shaped flowers grow in loose terminal racemes in August and September, followed by 2-celled fruit capsules.
Where Found
Grows in dry woods, pine ridges, mountains, and thickets from Maine to Florida and west to Ontario, Minnesota, and Missouri.
Medicinal Properties
Antiseptic, diaphoretic, febrifuge, sedative
Legends, Myths and Stories
Other herbs are called lousewort: Wood betony (Betonica officinalis); and (Pedicularis canadensis).
Uses
Historical herbalists traditionally administered a warm infusion of the plant to promote perspiration during fevers and to address inflammatory conditions. It was also applied historically in folk medicine to aid the healing of wounds.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023