St. Paul's Wort

Siegesbeckia orientalis

Also known as St. Paul's Wort, Indian Weed, Xi Xian Cao, Herbe de Saint-Paul, Siegesbeckia

At a glance

Family

Asteraceae (Daisy family)

Type

Annual weedy herb

Parts used

Aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowering tops)

Size

1 to 3 feet tall (30 cm to 1 m)

Bloom

Late summer into autumn, small yellow flower heads

Habitat

Roadsides, disturbed ground, and forest margins across tropical and subtropical Asia, now naturalized in many warm regions worldwide

Acquisition

Forage

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Traditionally eased joint stiffness

Used for wind-damp arthralgia

Applied to skin irritations

Supported traditional wound care

Traditional uses

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In Chinese herbal medicine, Siegesbeckia orientalis has long been known as Xi Xian Cao, a bitter, cooling herb gathered at the height of summer and traditionally simmered into decoctions for aching, swollen joints and the deep stiffness old healers called wind-damp obstruction. Village herbalists from southern China to the Pacific Islands also turned to its crushed leaves as a poultice for sores, insect bites, and irritated skin. In French folk medicine it traveled under the name Herbe de Saint-Paul, used in much the same spirit, as a humble roadside remedy for gout and rheumatic complaints. It has never been a garden favorite so much as a hedgerow helper, the kind of plant healers learned to recognize growing wild and gathered as needed.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Turmeric
✦Ginger
✦Mulberry twig

Substitutes

✦Willow bark
✦Devil's claw

Choose it when

“For when old, aching joints ask for an old-world remedy.”

Did you know?

The sticky, glandular hairs that coat Siegesbeckia's stems and seed heads act like tiny hooks, letting the plant hitch a ride on the fur of passing animals and the cuffs of passing travelers. That quiet talent for hitchhiking is a big part of how a modest Asian roadside weed ended up growing wild on nearly every warm continent on earth.

Safety

Fresh St. Paul's wort has sticky, glandular hairs that can irritate sensitive skin, so handle it with care. Safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding hasn't been established, and it shouldn't be combined with liver or blood pressure medication without guidance.