Eupatorium perfoliatum is a member of the Asteraceae (Aster) plant family, native to the central and eastern regions of North America. It features masses of white flowers in September and October. The 2' to 3' plants are frequently swarmed by a number of species of butterflies, who feast upon the nectar.

Eupatorium perfoliatum is known as common boneset, thoroughwort, agueweed, Indian sage, and feverwort, and it has a documented history in Native American and European medicinal practice prior to the creation of antibiotics during World War II. It was used in a range of folk remedies, from treating snakebite and epilepsy to regulating mentrual cycles, from easing fever and sore throats to inducing vomiting. Nineteenth-century medical practitioners believed that the leaves wrapped around the stem indicated that this plant was good for healing broken bones; assigning medicinal properties based upon the physical characteristics of plants is referred to as the Doctrine of Signatures, and was the basis for many medicinal treatments.

The genus Eupatorium is named after King Eupator of Pontus, who used one of the species in this genus as an antidote for poison. Historically, the Pontic kingdom occupied the northern coast of Turkey on the Black Sea. There are 38 species in this genus native to the temperate zones of North America, Asia, and Europe.