The Medicinal Uses of Showy Milkweed

Asclepias speciosa    Asclepiadaceae

Full disclosure:  I don’t know if I have regretted planting any seeds more than this one.  They absolutely have invaded, and they have no intention of going quietly away. 

HARVEST

Harvest the thin roots in the fall after the pods have gone to seed.[1]  They dry hard and tough, so cut them up while they are fresh. 

PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

• Antiseptic[2]
• Diaphoretic[3]
• Diuretic[4]
• Fresh root tea[5]
• Expectorant[6]
• Galactagogue[7]

PREPARATIONS

• Capsules #00, 1-2, 3x per day[8]
• Decoction, 1 tablespoon in 16 oz water, reduced to 4 oz, 4x per day[9]
• Salve, use powdered root[10]
• Tea, 1 teaspoon per 8 oz. [11]
• Tincture, 1:5, 50% alcohol, 5-30 drops[12].  Buhner in Herbal Antibiotics includes five species of Asclepias, but not this one.  Most are tinctured exactly the same, or very nearly so.  And the same with the tincture dosages.  
•  A. asperula (inmortal root), dried root 1:5, 50% alcohol, 5-30 drops up to 3x per day.  Best used in conjunction with other herbs.   
• A. cornuta (common milkweed).  Same as for A. asperula.  
•  A. incarnata (swamp milkweed).  Same as for A. asperula.   
• A. subulate (desert milkweed), same as for A. asperula, but dosage is 10-20 drops in water.   
• A. tuberosa (pleurisy root), same as for A. asperula, but dosage is 30-90 drops.[13]

USAGE

• Eyes
• Blindness
• Eyewash, tea of plant tops[14] [15]
• Snowblindness
• Eyewash, tea of plant tops[16]
• Gastrointestinal
• Dysentery
• Root tea[17]
• 4 ounces[18]
• Intestinal worms
• Fresh root tea[19]
• Stomachache
• Powdered root tea[20]
• Hepatic
• Cholecystalgia[21]
• 1 teaspoon root plus 1 tablespoon chopped marshmallow root, boiled gently for 60 minutes in 16 oz water[22]
• Musculoskeletal
• Fresh root tea[23]
• Rheumatism
• Wash[24]
• Neurological
• Headache
• Root tea[25]
• Insomnia
• Powdered root tea[26]
• Respiratory
• Asthma
• Powdered root tea[27]
• Fresh root tea[28]
• Cough
• Root tea[29]
• 4 ounces, 1-2x per day[30]
• Measles
• Root tea[31] [32]
• Milky sap applied[33]
• Tuberculosis
• Root tea[34]
• Skin
• Burns
• Milky sap applied[35]
• Callouses
• Latex[36]
• Milky sap[37]
• Milky sap applied[38]
• Contact dermatitis/poison ivy
• Milky sap applied[39]
• Corns
• Latex[40]
• Milky sap[41]
• Milky sap applied[42]
• Cuts
• Latex[43]
• Milky sap applied[44]
• Moles
• Milky sap applied[45]
• Snakebite
• Seed tea[46] [47] [48]
• Sores
• Latex[49]
• Powder, seeds[50]
• Salve
• Ground seed applied topically[51]
• Ringworm
• Milky sap applied[52]
• Latex[53]
• Warts[54]
• Milky sap[55]
• Urogenital
• Contraceptive
• Fresh root tea[56]
• Lactation[57]
• STDs
• Syphilitic sores
• Latex[58]
• Fresh root tea[59]
• Root tea, in small doses[60]
• Other Uses
• Flowers, fresh or dried, and flower buds, as seasoning, flavoring for stews and soups, especially if gamey or greasy.[61]
• Flowers and buds boiled down to make syrup or brown sugar or preserves. [62]
• Young shoots, unopened flower buds, immature seed pods eaten raw, boiled, or fried[63]
• Chewing gum, dried juice from broken stems[64]
• Seed silk for stuffing pillows, or woven into cloth. [65]

Caution:  Not for use in pregnant women or those with heart issues.The milky sap is irritating to some.  Wear gloves and avoid splashing into the eyes or other sensitive membranes. [66]  Overuse may cause nausea and vomiting.[67]  Foster states that many milkweed species are toxic and cautions against consumption.[68]  Kershaw notes that cooking inactivates the toxins.[69]

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[1] Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, 2003, 160-62.

[2] Percy Train, et al., Medicinal Uses of Plants by Indian Tribes of Nevada, 1957, 31.

[3] Moore.

[4] Moore.

[5] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 146.

[6] Moore.

[7] Moore.

[8] Moore.

[9] Moore.

[10] Kershaw.

[11] Moore.

[12] Moore.

[13] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 2012, 366.

[14] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 160.

[15] Kershaw.

[16] Foster.

[17] Foster.

[18] Train.

[19] Kershaw.

[20] Kershaw.

[21] Moore.

[22] Moore.

[23] Kershaw.

[24] Train.

[25] Foster.

[26] Kershaw.

[27] Kershaw.

[28] Kershaw.

[29] Foster.

[30] Train.

[31] Foster.

[32] Train.

[33] Kershaw.

[34] Train.

[35] Kershaw.

[36] Train.

[37] Foster.

[38] Kershaw.

[39] Kershaw.

[40] Train.

[41] Foster.

[42] Kershaw.

[43] Train.

[44] Kershaw.

[45] Kershaw.

[46] Foster.

[47] Kershaw.

[48] Train.

[49] Train.

[50] Foster.

[51] Train.

[52] Kershaw.

[53] Train.

[54] Moore.

[55] Foster.

[56] Kershaw.

[57] Moore.

[58] Train.

[59] Kershaw.

[60] Foster.

[61] Moore.

[62] Kershaw.

[63] Kershaw.

[64] Kershaw.

[65] Kershaw.

[66] Moore.

[67] Moore.

[68] Foster.

[69] Kershaw.