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Boneset for Flu
Native Americans used boneset as a treatment for a wide range of infectious and fever-related conditions. Europeans eventually adopted the use of the plant, and extended its traditional uses to include malaria.1
Active constituents
Date: 5/7/2006 10:25:22 AM ( 18 y ) ... viewed 2370 times Boneset contains sesquiterpene lactones, such as euperfolin, euperfolitin, and eufoliatin, as well as polysaccharides and flavonoids. In a test tube study, a particular polysaccharide in boneset was found to stimulate immune cell function.2 This may partially explain its use to treat minor viral infections, such as colds and the flu. Boneset also triggers sweating by raising body temperature, potentially of benefit for colds and flu as well.3
How much is usually taken?
Traditionally, boneset is taken as a tea or tincture. To prepare a tea, boiling water is added to 1/4–1/2 teaspoon (1–2 grams) of the herb and allowed to steep, covered, for ten to fifteen minutes. Three cups (750 ml) a day may be taken (the tea is quite bitter). Tincture, 1/4–3/4 teaspoon (1–4 ml) three times per day, is also often taken.4
Are there any side effects or interactions?
A small number of people experience nausea and/or vomiting when using boneset. The fresh plant, however, is more likely to cause this than the dried herb. Although potentially liver-damaging chemicals, called pyrrolizidine alkaloids, are found in some plants similar to boneset, the levels in boneset are minimal. There are no known reports of liver damage from taking boneset. Nevertheless, patients with liver disease should avoid boneset, and no one should take it consistently for longer than six months. Boneset is not recommended during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Boneset should not be used when a high fever (over 102 degrees F) is present.
At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with boneset.
References
1. Castleman M. The Healing Herbs. New York: Bantam Books 1991, 124–8.
2. Woerdenbag HJ, Bos R, Hendriks H. Eupatorium perfoliatum L—the boneset. Z Phytother 1992;13:134–9 [review].
3. Mills SY. Out of the Earth: The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine. New York: Viking Arkana, 1991.
4. British Herbal Medicine Association Scientific Committee. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, UK: British Herbal Medicine Association, 1983, 86.
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