It is yellow in color and is sweet, though slightly acidic. The leaves and roots are poisonous. The foliage and stems have been used as a pot-herb. The Mayapple loves company and can be found growing in warm, sheltered spots, such as partially shaded borders, woods, and marshes, liking a light, loamy soil. It requires no other culture than to be kept clear of weeds, and is so hardy as to be seldom injured by frost.
Large colonies develop from long, creeping rhizomes.
During the last twenty or thirty years, attention has be drawn by pharmacologists and medical researches to the fact that Podophyllum contains chemical agents responsible for anti-cancer activity. It was said the five percent of the dried rhizome and root consist of a resin called podophyllin that was used as purgative by Native North American tribes. The resin was prepared by percolation of the fresh root in alcohol , which is then evaporated until it turns syrupy. The tribes then added cold water with agitation and allowed it to stand for twenty for hours to precipitate the resin. F. Its approximated yield is around eighty-four pounds of resin per ton of root.