Common Dogbane

Apocynum cannabinum

Common dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum), also called Indian hemp, is a hardy perennial plant native to North America, often found in fields, thickets, and along stream edges. It grows in upright clumps, usually 2–5 feet tall, with smooth, reddish stems that exude a milky white sap when broken. Its opposite leaves are oval to lance-shaped, and in summer the plant produces clusters of small, pale green to white flowers that give way to long, slender seed pods.

Despite its name, common dogbane is not a plant for casual use — all parts of it are considered toxic. The milky sap contains cardiac glycosides, compounds that can affect the heart in much the same way as foxglove (Digitalis). Because of this, it was traditionally approached with caution. Indigenous peoples, however, knew how to make careful use of the plant: its fibrous stems were prized for making cordage, nets, and thread, as they yield strong natural fibers comparable to hemp.

Medicinally, small and controlled doses of dogbane were used in traditional practices as a heart medicine, a diuretic, and sometimes as a purgative — but this was done with deep knowledge of its potency. Modern herbalists generally avoid using the plant internally because of its narrow safety margin, though its historical role as a medicine and fiber plant is well documented.

Common dogbane is both a warning and a teacher: a striking native plant that offers strong fibers for practical use, powerful compounds for healing in careful hands, and a reminder of the thin line between poison and medicine in the wild.