Dogbane

This is a poisonous plant and, though I have been intrigued by it since reading Matt Wood's discussion of Werewolf Root in his The Book of Herbal Wisdom, I have avoided using it for this reason.  I pasted a bit from Wikipedia in place of a more thorough exploration- the main point being that this is a poisonous plant that should not be utilized as medicine by the home-care herbalist.  Though, it does have interesting medicinal uses.  According to Banks (Plants of the Cherokee), a poultice was used for rheumatism and the roots are boiled to clean out the kidneys.  

In The Indian Household Medicine Guide (J.I.Lighthall 1883) "Bitter Root" or "Wandering Milkweed" is described under Apocynum andros:  "This is a common weed to all parts of the Union...  The root is the medicinal part, and should be dug in the months of August and September...  In large doses it will cause vomiting, and at the same time act as a cathartic, but properly given will cure dyspepsia and liver complaint, or torpid liver with constipation.  Take two ounces of the root, put it in a quart of whisky, and after standing fourteen days take from a teaspoonful to a tablespoon three times a day."
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia        Apocynum cannabinumApocynum cannabinum (Dogbane, Amy Root, Hemp Dogbane, Prairie Dogbane, Indian Hemp,Rheumatism Root, or Wild Cotton)[2] is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows throughout much ofNorth America - in the southern half of Canada and throughout the United States.[1][3] It is a poisonous plant: Apocynum means "poisonous to dogs". All parts of the plant are poisonous and can cause cardiac arrest if ingested. The cannabinum in the scientific name and the common names Hemp Dogbane andIndian Hemp refer to its similarity to Cannabis as a fiber plant (see Hemp), rather than as a source of a psychoactive drug.   - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocynum_cannabinum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia        ApocynumApocynum, commonly known as Indian hemp, is a genus of the plant family of the Apocynaceae with seven species. Its name is from the Greek: apo, away and cyno,[2] attributed to its toxicity. The genus is native to North America, temperate Asia (China, Siberia, Kazakhstan, etc.), and SE Europe (Italy, Bulgaria,Ukraine, etc.).[1][3][4] 
Apocynum cannabinum was used as a source of fiber by Native Americans. Apocynum venetum(Chinese: 羅布麻) is used as an herbal tea in China.[5] Dogbane contains cymarin, a cardiotonic agent used to treat cardiac arrhythmia in humans.[6]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocynum