boneset

American  

[bohn-set] / ˈboʊnˌsɛt /

noun

1. any composite plant of the genus Eupatorium, especially E. perfoliatum, of North America, having white flowers in a flat-topped cluster.

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boneset British  

/ ˈbəʊnˌsɛt /

noun

1. Also called: agueweed.   feverwort.   thoroughwort.  any of various North American plants of the genus Eupatorium , esp E. perfoliatum , which has flat clusters of small white flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

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Etymology

Origin of boneset

1810–20, bone ( def. ) + set (v.), so named (by hyperbole) because supposed to have healing properties

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boneset

Nonetheless, a demand persists for senna, henna, pennyroyal, hops, boneset, camomile, sage, tansy, flaxseed, rhubarb, ginger root, fennel seed, aniseed, saffron, viburnum.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Broken, by God’s whiskers. Broken,” she moaned, feeling her ankle, and she set about telling Beetle how to pack the boneset herbs and wrap the rags about the limb.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

The fever hasn't come back any more, and if I ever have a medicine-chest of my own there will be boneset in it; great, big, smelly packages of it.

From Stranded in Arcady by Lynde, Francis

“Inside” she was all sick, and sorry, and prone to tears; and it 191 was not altogether the boneset tea that made her feel so unsettled, either.

From Carolyn of the Corners by Endicott, Ruth Belmore

Master Evans had a old woman what tended to us when we was sick, and he give us quinine and calomel and castor oil and boneset tea.

From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume XVI, Texas Narratives, Part 3 by United States. Work Projects Administration