Joe-Pye Weed
Parts Usually Used
Root, floral decoctions are diuretic and tonic
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Gravel root is distinguishable by the purple band about 1 inch broad around the leaf point. The perennial plant reaches 5-6 feet, with pail purple to white tubular flowers, in a somewhat rounded cluster, blooms in August and September. The leaves, from 3-5 at the joint, are broad, rough and jagged. The root is the official part, with a fragrance resembling that of old hay, and slightly bitter, aromatic taste which is faintly astringent but not unpleasant.
Where Found
Found in low places, dry woods or meadows in northern, western and middle regions of North America and in Canada.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, stimulant, tonic, astringent, relaxant
Biochemical Information
Euparin, which is yellow, neutral and crystalline; eupurpurin is an oleoresin that is precipitated from an alcoholic tincture of the herb.
Legends, Myths and Stories
The name “Queen of the meadow” is shared with a European species (Spiraea ulmaria). ) is used similarly but the Native Americans used the root to induce sweating in typhus fever. ) is not the same as Joe-Pye weed, although they share the name boneset in some locations. The Joe-Pye weed was named after a Native American doctor named Joe Pye who used it medicinally. The medicine man taught early settlers how to use it.
Uses
Historical herbalists utilized this plant for gallstones and various chronic urinary and kidney complaints, including dropsy, bed-wetting, and urine retention, valuing it for its purported diuretic properties. Traditional practitioners also administered it for neuralgia, rheumatism, sciatica, headaches, and poor appetite or indigestion, regarding it as a soothing agent to relax the nerves.
In combination with uva ursi, marshmallow, blue cohosh, and lily root, the herb was historically recommended for various female complaints. Additionally, nineteenth-century herbal traditions recorded its use for respiratory ailments such as asthma, chronic coughs, colds, and sore throats, as well as for intermittent fevers, vomiting, and general nervous debility.
Bibliography
, Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, West Nyack, NY, 1987. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992). The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.
Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974