The fresh or dried root is cleaned and then gently boiled for about fifteen minutes in water. It is then allowed to cool before filtering and consuming. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
The whole plant, stripped of its spines, is crushed fresh until a homogeneous paste is obtained, then applied directly to the affected area, held in place with a clean cloth. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
The harvested root is washed, stripped of its fibrous bark, then cooked under ashes or roasted over fire, according to traditional uses reported among some Plains peoples. Dosage should be validated with a healthcare professional or a recognized pharmacopoeia before use.
This wild plant is found in dry prairies, plains, and rocky terrain of the southwestern and central United States; it remains rare in European herbalism and is found mainly through botanists or collections specializing in North American plants.
The root is traditionally harvested in autumn or early spring, while the whole plant is gathered during the flowering period, in summer.