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HERB ALLEY
Pleurisy
(Asclepias Tuberosa)
COMMON NAMES: Butterfly
weed, Canada root, flux root, orange swallow-wort, tuber root, white root,
wind root.
MEDICINAL PART: Root.
DESCRTIPTION: Pleurisy
root is a native North American perennial plant found in dry fields and
sandy soils along the east coast and westward to Minnesota, Arizona, and
northern Mexico. The fleshy, white root produces several stout, round,
hairy stems from 1 to 3 feet high. The alternate, sessile leaves
are lanceolate to oblong, a darker green above than beneath. Bright
orange flowers grow on terminal, flat-topped umbels from June to September,
later producing long, edible seed pods.
PROPERTIES AND USES:
Carminative, diaphoretic, diureric, expectorant. Pleurisy root
was widely used as an expectorant in the late nineteenth century.
It has been recommended for colds, flu, and bronchial and pulmonary problems.
Sometimes it was given with cayenne at the begining of a cold. American
Indians chewed the dried root or made a tea by boiling the root as a remedy
for bronchitis, pneumonia, and dysentery. Caution: Animals have been
poisoned by feeding on the leaves and stems. The fresh root may also
produce undesirable symptoms.
As the name suggests,
it is very valuable in pleurisy. Excellent to break up colds, for
la grippe, and all bronchial and pulmonary complaints. Very useful
in scarlet fever, rheumatic fevers, bilious fever, typhus, and all burning
fevers, also measles. Good for suppressed menstruation and acute
dysentary. It is a tonic for the kidneys. Good for asthma.
This herb is famed for
its use with pleurisy, a severe infection of the pleural sacks surrounding
the lungs. It is excellent for inflamed congested lungs, especially
where there is the presence of liquid and/or extra moisture.
PREPERATION AND DOSAGE:
Use the root dried or cooked.
Decoction: Boil 1 tsp
root in 1 cup water. Take 1 to 2 cups a day.
Tincture: Take 5 to 40
drops every 3 hours, depending on age and condition. At the begining
of a cold, take 5 to 15 drops in hot water and 3 grains cayenne every hour
until you feel warm throughout. For children, the dose is 1 to 5
drops.
The Herb Book by
John Lust
Back to Eden by
Jethro Kloss
The Science and Art of Herbology
by Rosemary Gladstar.
