Pleurisy Root
(Asclepias tuberosa)
butterflyweed, colic root, "Immortal"

Description: A milkweed, without milky juice. The fleshy white root produces several stout, round hairy stems, 3 feet tall. The leaves are lance shaped with the stem clasping toward the flowers. Many small, bright orange flowers with backward flaring petals and hooded crown occur in dense terminal, flat-topped umbels. The pods are 3-4 inches long, furry and upright. Common in the Midwest along dry roadsides.

Medicinal: It is a carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, and expectorant. The root dried, boiled,
chewed or made into a tea has been useful in pleurisy, pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung problems and other infectious diseases. For a decoction, boil 1 teaspoon of the root in 1 cup water, 30 minutes. Take 1-2 cups a day, or take 5-40 drops of the tincture every 3 hours, depending on age and conditions. At the beginning of a cold, take 5-15 drops in hot water with 1/4 teaspoon or more of cayenne pepper,every hour. A root poultice is used for bruises. CAUTION: The fresh root may produce undesirable symptoms. In large doses it acts as an emetic and purgative. Animals have been poisoned by feeding on the leaves and stems.