The flower shoots are eaten young and raw. The leaves are occasionally eaten. The leaves are used for making an alcoholic drink. In Ethiopia the sap is added to milk to help it coagulate. The leaves have been used as a soup ingredient in sauces[ 617 ]. A rather strange report - see the notes above on toxicity[ K ].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


Compounds derived from the plant have been found to have emetic-cathartic and digitalic properties. The principal active compounds are asclepin and mudarin[ 303 ]. Other compounds have been found to have bactericidal and vermicidal propertie[ 303 ]. The root bark is an emetic[ 303 ]. An infusion of bark powder is used in the treatment and cure of leprosy and elephantiasis[ 46 , 266 , 303 ]. It is inadvisable to use bark that has been kept for more than a year[ 303 ]. The extremely poisonous roots are used in the treatment of snakebites[ 303 ]. The leaves are used for the treatment of asthma[ 266 ]. The milky sap is used as a rubefacient and is also strongly purgative and caustic[ 303 ]. The latex is used for treating ringworm, guinea worm blisters, scorpion stings, venereal sores and ophthalmic disorders[ 303 ], it is also used as a laxative[ 303 ]. Its use in India in the treatment of skin diseases has caused severe bullous dermatitis leading sometimes to hypertrophic scars[ 303 ]. The local effect of the latex on the conjunctiva is congestion, epiphora and local anaesthesia[ 303 ]. The latex contains a proteolytic enzyme called caloptropaine[ 303 ]. The flower is digestive and tonic[ 303 ]. It is used in the treatment of asthma and catarrh[ 303 ]. The twigs are applied for the preparation of diuretics, stomach tonic and anti-diarrhoetics and for asthma[ 303 ]. Also used in abortion, as an anthelmintic, for colic, cough, whooping cough, dysentery, headache, lice treatment, jaundice, sore gums and mouth, toothache, sterility, swellings and ulcers[ 303 ].

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Agroforestry Uses: A source of green manure[ 303 ]. The plant can help improve soil water conditions and also acts as a soil binder[ 303 ]. Plants often escape from cultivation, especially when growing on sandy soils. It often self-sows freely on overgrazed land and has been used as an indicator of exhausted soil[ 303 ]. Other Uses A strong fibre is obtained from the stem[ 46 ]. Durable under water[ 46 ]. White, silky, strong, cylindrical, flexible and durable stem fibre used for various purposes, such as for making ropes, to form cheap cots, gunny bags, bow strings, fishing nets, and in the manufacture of paper, pulp and duplicating stencils[ 46 , 303 , 774 ]. Strong inner bark fibres produce a binding material and are processed into fabrics[ 303 ]. The floss from the seed capsules is used as a stuffing material in mattresses etc[ 46 , 774 ]. The floss from the seeds, which is about 2 - 3.5 cm long, white silky and strong, is used as an inferior stuffing for mattresses and pillows as well as for weaving into a strong cloth[ 303 ]. The floss may also substitute cotton wool for surgical purposes[ 303 ]. The plant is the source of a rubber-like product called Mudar Gummi[ 46 ]. The liquid latex can be used as a renewable source of hydrocarbons and intermediate energy resources[ 303 ]. The latex contains 11 - 23% of rubber[ 303 ]. The latex is 80% effective in inhibiting the activity of the tobacco mosaic virus[ 303 ]. The leafy branches are said to deter ants[ 303 ]. A macerated bark extract can be used for dyes[ 303 ] An ideal plant for monitoring sulphur dioxide emissions in the air[ 303 ]. The stems are termite proof and are used for roofing and building huts[ 303 ]. The very light wood can also be used for fishing net floats[ 303 ]. The wood is a source of charcoal, used for making gunpowder[ 46 , 303 ]. Stems produce a good charcoal, while the stem pith makes good tinder[ 303 ]. The dogbane-milkweed family Asclepias, Apocynum, Calotropis, and Trachomitum spp) has been used for fiber industrial crops for millennia with a number in cultivation as regional crops. All of these crops are dual-purpose fibres, offering bast fibres from the stem and seed fiber or ‘floss’ in the fruit pods. Many have also been identified as potential hydrocarbon crops due to high latex content. Could be integrated into various agroforestry systems rather than as monocultures [1-1].

Special Uses