This herb is definitely not a weed as the name suggests - it belongs to the family of Asters or more generally known as the daisy family. It is called different names including boneset gravel root and trumpet weed.

Native to North America, Jo Pye Weed is named after an American doctor who successfully used the plant as one of the Herbal Remedies to treat ‘typhus’. The ancient tradition was to use the herb as a love potion and also as a good luck charm. The hollow stems were used to draw water from a body of water, like using a straw. There are Native American Indian tribes that still think of it as a natural healer and will add one teaspoon of the dried herb to a cup of boiling water and then steep for ten minutes before drinking.

The common name for the herb was boneset, so called because of its use in treating broken bones or dengue fever in America.  Medically it has been known to be invaluable in treating kidney stones, urinary disorders such as cystitis and relieve the symptoms of menstruation.

To blend the herb to use as a home remedy you have to take the leaves and roots to make an infusion, with the most popular area that the herb stands out is as a diuretic and an astringent.

It can blend in an herb garden or the borders of a front garden as long as the soil in that area is wet. The purple flowers of the plant make it attractive to the eye and the best place to look for the herb is in wild wet swamps.