Boneset

Notes:

According to Millspaugh (1892) “There is probably no plant in domestic practice that has more extensive or frequent use” (in reference to E. perfoliatum) and it is mentioned in virtually all of the historic books on American plant medicine (Kindsher, 1992). With the advent of antibiotics and so called “magic bullets‟ in the 20th century, traditional use of E. perfoliatum for respiratory infections and fevers has declined, and demand is confined largely to herbalists and phytotherapists in the USA and abroad. The decline in popularity has not been helped by unfounded reports that the species contains hepatotoxic pyrrolizide alkaloids (PAs), at a time when there is a great need for alternatives to antibiotics and to the influenza drugs now in use.