Pleurisy Root
Parts Used & Where Grown
As its common name indicates, the root of pleurisy root is used as medicine. This brilliant-orange-flowered herb is native to and continues to grow primarily in the southwestern and midwestern United States. Many plants similar to pleurisy root are known as milkweeds because they produce a milky sap—something pleurisy root does not do.
How It Works
Insufficient work has been done to identify the active constituents in pleurisy root or its medicinal actions. No human studies have been conducted to determine whether it is effective for any indication. It is still used by herbalists and some physicians trained in herbal medicine as a diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and for lung infections and conditions of the pleura that lines the lungs.1