Native Food Uses of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is used as a food by numerous North American Indigenous groups, yet also considered a poisonous plant by chemists and others. The details of traditional, Indigenous preparation methods, which render it as an edible and culturally important food choice, are reported here, along with harvesting and tending methods. The specifics of these interactions between Indigenous groups and common milkweed not only allow consumption of this “poisonous” plant, but also appear to sustain the vigor of the species, making these details important for conservation of this traditional food.