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Boneset is a member of the Sunflower Family (Asteracea) and is native to the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. and Canada.
Boneset is very common and can be found growing along streams and in low meadows. The flowers are grayish-white and bloom, here in Scott County, from the middle of August into September.
As you can see in the photo to the left and as suggested by the Latin species name, the stem appears to be growing through the leaf. Early herbalists believed this to be a sign that boneset
would be useful in setting bones. They based this on the "Doctrine of Signatures", which was a belief that each plant had a sign to indicate what it could be used for.
The common name, boneset, is a product of this belief and today some still believe that a boneset tea can cure everything from broken bones to colds and coughs.
600x300 Image of Boneset (33.8 KB) |
