This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Long considered a weed, common milkweed, which can be found both in town and in the countryside, is increasingly attractive. And for good reason: the qualities of this perennial crowned with umbel flowers tinged with purplish pink are now well known. The proof by four uses, some of which might surprise you.
In the butterfly gardens
Native to our latitudes, common milkweed — one of around a hundred cultivars in the world and the most common in Quebec — is essential to the survival of the monarch butterfly, which has just been placed on the Red List of Endangered Species. of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“As monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed leaves, whose flowers are also very nectariferous, areas where there are a lot of plants are important reproduction points”, recalls Alessandro Dieni, project manager of the Mission program monarch. To help, you can first create a landscaping that incorporates milkweed — according to Alessandro Dieni, although monarchs seem to prefer common milkweed, they also do very well with tropical, more ornamental cultivars. From May to October, you can also take part in Mission Monarque by identifying places where milkweed is found and checking for the presence of eggs, caterpillars or adult monarchs.
In the clothing industry
Milkweed fibers have not attracted the attention of the clothing industry for nothing: insulating, hydrophobic, rot-proof and antibacterial, they advantageously replace goose down or synthetic fibers in our winter clothing.
“It’s really unique as a natural insulator,” says Gabriel Gouveia, co-founder of Lasclay, a company renowned for its ultra-warm, locally-made mittens. Lasclay, which even offers a cooler insulated from this innovative material, is however not the only brand to be interested in this “American silk”. Atypic Equipment, for its part, has recently made jackets with insulation made from a mixture of milkweed, kapok and biopolymer.
On our plate
You can also eat certain parts of the milkweed, whose flavor is close to asparagus, according to amateurs, in particular the spring shoots, the flower buds or the young fruits. In recipe books, however, the greatest caution is recommended. Considered toxic when raw or improperly prepared—it appears on the poison control center’s list of poisonous plants—milkweed can cause poisoning, even if boiled, we read on the website of the Order of Nurses of Quebec. Does this prospect turn you off? Rather than cooking it yourself, get milkweed prepared according to the rules of the art, like the marinated pods of Gourmet Sauvage. You can also turn to milkweed honey, with its distinctive floral and spicy notes.
In our little pots
Despite the relative toxicity of milkweed, its medicinal virtues have been known since antiquity to relieve fever, asthma and digestive disorders. Funny paradox! On this side of the Atlantic, First Nations apparently used the burnt silk inside the fruit to make a painkiller balm. The latex that flows from the stems was used to heal wounds or treat warts. Today, we are looking more specifically at the properties of the oil extracted from milkweed seeds, which, after a chemical transformation, would have the potential to absorb UV rays. Who knows when we’ll be able to test milkweed oil-based sunscreen?
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.