Look around, you can see this "weed" growing everywhere.  And they're blooming right now.

 

Botanically, it is Eutrochium purpureum, and is in the sunflower family.  Its common name is Joe Pye Weed, or Queen of the Meadow, Gravel Root, Kidney Root, and Purple Boneset.

 

Joe Pye Weed was used to treat a variety of ailments, as some of the common names suggest.  In the 18th century Native Indians used it in the treatment of kidney stones and other urinary tract ailments.  And folklore says that American colonists used it to treat typhus outbreaks.

 

Let's steer clear of the medicinal uses for Joe Pye Weed; and just enjoy its beauty in the meadows.  That's my plan.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!