Fleabane- Another weed you didn't know was medicine!

Fleabane



Medicinal Uses: There are many accounts or Native American use of this plant. The Ojibwa used it as a diuretic, for hemorrhages, spitting of blood. The Cherokee for menstruation problems and bad vision. It was poultice for headache and cold root tea taken for colds. Snuff of powdered florets used for sick headaches and the smoke of dried flowers for head colds.


The Cherokee used an infusion of the roots to treat colds, coughs, and headaches. The Blackfeet used Philadelphia fleabane to treat diarrhea. The Mesquakies took snuff made of powdered disk flowers to alleviate head colds by causing sneezing.

The Cherokee and other Native American tribes used Philadelphia fleabane for a variety of medicinal purposes including epilepsy. A poultice was made from the plant to treat headaches. The roots were either made into tea or chewed to treat colds and coughs. The smoke from incense made from the plant was inhaled to treat head colds. A snuff was made and sniffed also for head colds. It was mixed with other herbs to also treat headaches and inflammation of the nose and throat. The tea was used to break fevers. The plant was boiled and mixed with tallow to make a balm that could be spread upon sores on the skin. It was used for as an eye medicine to treat “dimness of sight.” It was used as an astringent, a diuretic, and as an aid for kidneys or the gout. The Cherokee and Houma tribes boiled the roots to make a drink for “menstruation troubles” and to induce miscarriages (to treat “suppressed menstruation”). It was also used to treat hemorrhages and for spitting of blood. The Catawba used a drink from the plant to treat heart trouble.

Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas.
Can be used as a natural insecticide. It is important to note however that this plant contains high levels of the natural pesticide pyrethrum, which has been known to cause skin sensitivity in some people

To make: Take one cup of leaves and or roots. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour over the fleabane, put a lid on this and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture, let cool. Mix in a 1/4 teaspoon of pure soap such as castile and spray.

You can use fleabane to help ward off fleas on your pets or in your home. Simply cut the leaves from the stem and line the floor of the doghouse, or dry them and stuff them in the dog bed. You can also dry them and rub them through your pets fur.