Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves  Oil  Root  Seed  Seedpod  Shoots
Edible Uses: Gum  Oil  Sweetener

Flower buds - raw or cooked[61, 92]. They taste somewhat like peas[85]. They can be used to thicken soups[257]. Young shoots and leaves - cooked[46, 61, 62, 92, 95]. An asparagus substitute[85, 183]. One report says that they should not be eaten raw[85], whilst another says that the young spring shoots were eaten raw by some native American tribes[257]. Tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach[85, 183]. Young seed pods, 3 - 4 cm long - raw or cooked[85, 257]. Very appetizing[85]. The immature pods are peeled before being eaten[257]. Flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup[85] or they can be eaten raw[161, 183]. Seed - raw[161, 257]. A chewing gum can be made from the latex contained in the stem and leaves[46, 61, 92, 183]. Root[183]. No further details are given, but another report says that the root can be poisonous in large quantities[257].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antirheumatic  Antiseptic  Ophthalmic  Skin  Stomachic  VD  Warts

The latex is used as a cure for warts[168, 257]. The latex needs to be applied at least once a day of a period of some weeks for it to be effective[K]. The latex has antiseptic properties and has been used to treat skin sores, cuts and ringworm[257]. A decoction of the plant tops can be strained and used to treat blindness and snow-blindness[257]. The root is either chewed when fresh, or dried, ground into a powder then boiled, and used in the treatment of stomach ache[257]. A decoction of the roots has been used in small doses to treat venereal diseases and also to treat coughs, especially from TB[257]. A poultice of the mashed roots has been applied to rheumatic joints[257]. Some caution should be employed when using the root since there is a report that it can be poisonous in large quantities[257].

Dye  Fibre  Gum  Latex  Oil  Paper  Pollution  Stuffing

A good quality tough fibre is obtained from the bark[92, 99]. It is used in twine, coarse cloth, paper etc[92, 99]. The fibre is 10 - 45mm long[189]. It is easily harvested in late autumn, after the plants have died down, by simply pulling it off the dead stems[168, 169]. When making paper, the stems can be retted by leaving them in the ground until they are dry in the winter or they can be harvested in late summer, the leaves removed and the stems steamed to remove the fibre[189]. The stems are then cooked for two hours with lye and pounded with mallets[189]. The paper colour varies from white to creamy green depending on how the paper is made[189]. If the stems are used in the summer the latex will often find its way onto the fibres and is hard to remove[189]. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc, or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth[168, 169]. It has also been used as a baby's nappy[257]. The seed floss is a Kapok substitute, used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material[169]. It is very water repellent. The floss has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and the stems[57, 92, 112]. The yield is up to 3%[112]. Pods contain an oil and a wax which are of potential importance. A green dye is obtained from the flowers and leaves combined[168]. Asclepias speciosa is a specific Monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. The dogbane-milkweed family Asclepias, Apocynum, Calotropis, and Trachomitum spp) has been used for fiber industrial crops for millennia with a number in cultivation as regional crops. All of these crops are dual-purpose fibres, offering bast fibres from the stem and seed finer or ‘floss’ in the fruit pods. Many have also been identified as potential hydrocarbon crops due to high latex content. Could be integrated into various agroforestry systems rather than as monocultures [1-1].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming