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

Unopened flower buds - cooked. They taste somewhat like peas. They are used like broccoli[183]. Flowers and young flower buds - cooked. They have a mucilaginous texture and a pleasant flavour, they can be used as a flavouring and a thickener in soups etc[55, 102, 257]. The flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup[2, 85]. The flowers are harvested in the early morning with the dew still on them[95]. When boiled up they make a brown sugar[95]. Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute[2, 4, 43, 55, 62, 95, 183]. They should be used when less than 20cm tall[159]. A slightly bitter taste[159]. Tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach[85, 183]. Young seed pods, 3 - 4 cm long, cooked[2, 43, 55, 85]. They are very appetizing. Best used when about 2 - 4cm long and before the seed floss forms, on older pods remove any seed floss before cooking them[85, 159]. If picked at the right time, the pods resemble okra[183]. The sprouted seeds can be eaten[183]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[55, 171]. The latex in the stems is a suitable replacement for chicle and can be made into a chewing gum[46, 61, 269]. It is not really suitable for use in tyres[269]. The latex is found mainly in the leaves and is destroyed by frost[112]. Yields are higher on dry soils[112].

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.
Anodyne  Contraceptive  Diaphoretic  Diuretic  Emetic  Expectorant  Homeopathy  Purgative  
Warts

The root is anodyne, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and purgative[4, 21, 222]. It has been used in the treatment of asthma, kidney stones, venereal disease etc[254, 257]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. An infusion of the pounded roots has been used by the women of some native North American Indian tribes to promote temporary sterility[213, 257]. The leaves and/or the latex are used in folk remedies for treating cancer and tumours[269]. The milky latex from the stems and leaves is used in the treatment of warts[4, 159, 222, 257]. The latex needs to be applied at least daily over a period of up to a few weeks to be effective. The stems can be cooked and applied as a poultice on rheumatic joints[257]. One reported Mohawk antifertility concoction contained milkweed and jack-in-the-pulpit, both considered contraceptive. Dried and pulverized, a fistful of milkweed and three Arisaema rhizomes were infused in a pint of water for 20 minutes. The infusion was drunk, a cupful an hour, to induce temporary sterility[269]. The rhizome is used in homeopathy as an antioedemic and emmenagogue in the treatment of dropsy and dysmenorrhoea[269].

Adhesive  Fibre  Gum  Latex  Oil  Oil  Pollution  Stuffing  Wick

A good quality fibre is obtained from the inner bark of the stems. It is long and quite strong, but brittle[269]. It can be used in making twine, cloth, paper etc[95, 112, 169]. The fibre is of poor quality in wet seasons[112]. It is easily harvested in late autumn after the plant has died down by simply pulling the fibres off the dried stems[169]. It is estimated that yields of 1,356 kilos per hectare could be obtained from wild plants[269]. The seed floss is used to stuff pillows etc or is mixed with other fibres to make cloth[112, 159, 169, 171]. It is a Kapok substitute, used in Life Jackets or as a stuffing material[112]. Very water repellent, it can yield up to 550 kilos per hectare[112]. The floss absorbs oil whilst repelling water and so has also been used to mop up oil spills at sea. Candlewicks can be made from the seed floss[112, 207]. In cultivation, only 1 - 3% of the flowers produce mature pods[269]. It is estimated that yields of 1,368 kilos per hectare could be obtained from wild plants[269]. Rubber can be made from latex contained in the leaves and the stems[46, 57, 102, 159]. It is found mainly in the leaves and is destroyed by frost[112]. Yields of 197 kilos per hectare can be expected from wild plants, it is estimated that by selection these yields could be increased to 897 kilos[269]. Yields are higher on dry soils[112]. The latex can also be used as a glue for fixing precious stones into necklaces, earrings etc[257]. The latex contains 0.1 - 1.5% caoutchouc, 16 - 17% dry matter, and 1.23% ash. It also contains the digitalis-like mixture of a- and b-asclepiadin, the antitumor b-sitosterol, and a- and b-amyrin and its acetate, dextrose and wax[269]. Pods contain an oil and a wax which are of potential importance. The seed contains up to 20% of an edible semi-drying oil[74, 112]. It is also used in making liquid soap[74]. 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

Attracts Wildlife  Carbon Farming  Food Forest  Scented Plants