Joe-Pye Weed Marketable?
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Frank
Posted on: January 26, 1999

Just wanted to know if Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium purpureum, has medicinal or other properties or value that might find a market.

Joe-Pye Weed, also known as gravelroot, kidney root, purple boneset, and trumpet weed, is a native North American perennial herb that is found growin in moist woods and meadows from Eastern Canada to Texas and Florida. It grows 1-3 metres (3-10 ft) high and has purple to whitish flowers that appear in the late summer.

The main medicinal use is for urinary problems. It is a diuretic and has been used for kidney and bladder stones, difficult urination, dropsy, rheumatism and neuralgia, according to herbalist John Lust, author of "The Herb Book".

Both the flowering herb and the rootstock are used, the latter being used when an astringent is required.

Yes, there is a limited market for the dried herb and rootstocks. The price paid to collectors and growers for dried roots has been in the range of $10 a kilogram (about $4/lb).

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