Common names  |  Gravel root, Queen of the meadow, Joe-Pye weed 

Scientific name  |  Eutrochium purpureum
Used part  |  Root

Known active compounds  |  cistifolin, eupatorine, euparin, euparone 

Potential benefits in cosmetics  |  anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial 

Product name  |  Gravel Root-ANB

 

 

Plant Story

Eupatorium purpureum (also konwn as Eutrochium purpureum) is a perennial plant native to eastern North America. It is commonly known as gravel root, queen of the meadow, Joepyeweed, or sweetscented Joepyeweed. Native Americans traditionally used gravel root as a medicine to treat rheumatism and kidney problems, or as a tonic during pregnancy. The decoction of root was taken for arrow wounds and after childbirth for internal healing. In herbal medicine, gravel root is extensively used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis.

 

The active compounds from gravel root have been isolated and characterized as benzofuran derivatives including cistifolin, euparin, euparone, and eupatorine. Cistifolin inhibited integrin-dependent cell-cell and cell-protein interactions in vitro and inhibited oedema formation in a dose-dependent manner when treated to carrageenan induced rat inflammation models. There are numerous studies conducted about the anti-bacterial activities of Eupatorium spp. Among them, the extracts of gravel root showed anti-bacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.