Extracts by herbalists and by Native Americans were used as an expectorant for wet coughs and other pulmonary ailments. Use of the herb is contraindicated in pregnancy, during lactation or with infants due to the small amount of cardiac glycosides.
As an antispasmodic and expectorant this herb is a powerful remedy for pleurisy
This plant favors dry, sand or gravel soil, but has also been reported on stream margins. It requires full sun. Butterfly weed is easily propagated in water.
