Edible Parts: Root
Edible Uses:

The root is the only reported edible part. Other parts should be considered inedible. Even the root is of very poor culinary quality and should not be treated as a desirable food [2-3]. Edible Uses & Rating: Elkweed ranks very low as a food plant. The root is large and starchy-looking, but the flavor is powerfully bitter and gentian-like. Its food value is mostly historical or survival-related rather than practical [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Kitchen Notes: The root can be carrot-sized, white inside, and covered with dark brown skin. Texture may soften with cooking, but the flavor remains intensely unpleasant. Boiling produces yellow, bitter water similar to gentian tea. Baking in earth ovens or fire pits may soften the root, but it does not remove the strong bitterness. It should not be cooked with other foods because it can ruin the whole dish [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Young rosettes are present for years before flowering. Flowering occurs mainly from June to August. Roots are best gathered, if at all, from younger non-flowering rosettes, before the plant invests its stored energy into the tall flowering stalk [2-3]. Safety & Cautions (Food Use): Use caution. The gentian family contains many bitter, medicinally active plants. The root is reported edible but is not pleasant and may be physiologically active. Avoid eating large amounts, and do not use the aerial parts as food [2-3]. Harvest & Processing Workflow: If harvested in a survival or experimental context, select only abundant young rosettes, dig the taproot carefully, peel or clean the dark outer skin, slice, and cook separately from all other foods. Boiling water should be discarded. Because the plant is long-lived and slow to flower, harvesting should be extremely conservative [2-3]. Cultivar/Selection Notes: No food cultivars are known. In horticulture, it is grown or admired for its spectacular flowering habit rather than edibility [2-3]. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: Young rosettes may be confused with other large-leaved mountain forbs. Flowering plants are distinctive because of their tall unbranched stems, whorled leaves, greenish-yellow purple-spotted flowers, and fringed nectary pits. Traditional/Indigenous Use Summary: The roots were reportedly baked in fire pits in some traditional contexts, but this does not mean they were widely favoured. The plant appears to have been used more as a difficult emergency or medicinal food than as a preferred staple [2-3]. Root[105, 106, 155, 161]. It has been reported that the N. American Indians ate the fleshy root of this plant, but caution is advised since the roots of closely related plants are used medicinally as emetics and cathartics[212]. See the notes above on toxicity.

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.
Contraceptive  Febrifuge  Laxative  Parasiticide  Stomachic  Tonic

The whole plant is febrifuge, pectoral, laxative and tonic[155, 257]. An infusion of the dried, powdered leaves, or the root, has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[257]. A cooled decoction of the roots has been used in the treatment of asthma, colds, digestive complaints etc[257]. An infusion of the plant has been used as a contraceptive[213]. Caution is advised in the use of this plant, see the notes above on toxicity.

Parasiticide

The root, when ground into a powder and mixed with oil, has been used as a parasiticide to kill lice [155]. Ecology & Wildlife: Elkweed provides structural complexity and nectar resources to mountain meadows. Its large rosettes and dramatic flowering stalks are part of the seasonal character of western high-country plant communities.

Special Uses