Western Herbalism
Inmortal
Asclepias asperula
Also known as antelope horns, spider milkweed, spider antelope-horn milkweed, green-flowered milkweed.
Inmortal is a low, spreading milkweed of the dry plains and rocky slopes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, named for a thick root that revives year after year from apparent death. The root is the medicine. It is a signature remedy of Hispanic New Mexican folk practice and of the Southwestern herbal tradition that grew out of it, valued above all as a remedy for the tight, dry chest, and also known as a cardiac and uterine stimulant. Like other milkweeds it contains cardenolides, so it is a low-dose herb.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Dry, tight, unproductive cough
- Bronchitis with wheeze and scant sputum
- Asthma between attacks
- Pleurisy and painful chest breathing
- Croup and spasmodic cough in older children (practitioner use only)
- Fever with dry skin needing a sweat
- Postpartum uterine sluggishness (traditional)
- Delayed menses (traditional)
- Mild cardiac weakness with fluid retention (traditional, low dose)
Specific indications
A hard, dry, hacking cough with a tight chest and sticky sputum that will not move, in a patient who is hot and dry
Wheezing with a feeling of constriction across the chest that eases as breathing deepens and the skin moistens
Safety
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
The record lists 10 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Inmortal is closest in feel to pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa) but stronger, and it belongs in drop doses. Its home territory is the dry, tight, spasmodic cough of bronchitis, asthma or pleurisy where the patient is hot, the skin is dry and the mucus will not loosen.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Tincture (1:5, 50%) | 0.25-1 mL up to three times daily | 0.25-1 mL |
| Decoction | 0.5-1.5 g dried root once or twice daily | 500-1500 mg |
| Powdered root | 0.3-0.6 g once or twice daily | 300-600 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Inmortal is a low, spreading milkweed of the dry plains and rocky slopes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, named for a thick root that revives year after year from apparent death. The root is the medicine. It is a signature remedy of Hispanic New Mexican folk practice and of the Southwestern herbal tradition that grew out of it, valued above all as a remedy for the tight, dry chest, and also known as a cardiac and uterine stimulant. Like other milkweeds it contains cardenolides, so it is a low-dose herb.
Clinical Notes. Inmortal is closest in feel to pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa) but stronger, and it belongs in drop doses. Its home territory is the dry, tight, spasmodic cough of bronchitis, asthma or pleurisy where the patient is hot, the skin is dry and the mucus will not loosen.
Conservation. Wild populations are patchy across the Southwest and the plant is slow to recover from root harvest; source from cultivated or carefully managed wild stands and take only what is needed.
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