Bitterroot Restoration

Order: Gentianales
Family: Asclepiadaceae

Common name: Bon kapas(Beng.); Mexican Butterfly Weed, Blood-flower or Scarlet Milkweed, Wild ipecacuanha(Eng.).
Edible Parts: flower.
Life cycle: Perennial plant
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Native Range: Asclepias curassavica is native from tropical America and now naturalized in many other parts of the world and now found worldwide in tropical areas.

Asclepias curassavica is a species of evergreen perennial plant in the milkweed family. It is grown as an ornamental garden plant and as a source of food for butterflies. The Leaves are arranged oppositely on the stems and are lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate shaped ending in acuminate or acute tips. The flowers are in Cymes with 10-20 flowers each. The flowers have corollas that are purple or red and Corona lobes that are yellow or orange. fusiform shaped fruits are called follicles. Plants flower nearly year round. Plants have a milky sap like most members of the genus.

Asclepias curassavica is edible and medicinal. It is one of the most important of the indigenous American species. The plant (above ground) is used mainly for food and clothing. The root is medicinal, it is antispasmodic, carminative, mildly cathartic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, tonic and vasodilator. In Ayurvedic herbal medicine systems the plant is considered diaphoretic, anthelmintic, purgative, and emetic; it is employed in India for stomach tumours, piles, gonorrhoea, intestinal parasites, fever, and warts.

Asclepias curassavica (Butterfly Weed) is used internally in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, chronic rheumatism, and as an expectorant. It has a specific action on the lungs, making it a valuable medicinal herb in all chest complaints and in the treatment of many lung diseases. A medicinal poultice of the roots is used in the treatment of swellings, bruises, wounds, and skin ulcers. The bark is used to make a quality fiber and woven into twine or cloth. The seed floss is used for stuffing in pillows and life jackets, candle wicks, and fibers to make cloth. Research indicates the floss is effective at cleaning up oil spills at sea.

Due to the known toxicity of this plant, it is not recommended as a home herbal remedy. It is best in the hands of knowledgable herbalists and natural health care practitioners.