None known

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.
Dysentery

Extreme caution should be taken with all medical applications of this plant in view of its extreme toxicity[299 ]. Only the seeds have been chemically analysed in detail. They contain 30 - 45% of a fixed oil named croton oil and about 20% protein. The composition of the oil varies with the method of extraction. The oil comprises the fatty acids oleic acid 37%, linoleic acid 19%, myristic acid 7.5%, arachidic acid 1.5%, palmitic acid 1%, formic acid 1%, acetic acid 0.5%, stearic acid 0.5% and smaller amounts of butyric acid, lauric acid, tiglic acid and valeric acid. The oil also contains a group of proteins called ?crotin?, about 3.5% croton resin (?crotonol?), a glucoside called crotonoside (isoguanosine), and a non-volatile unsaturated fatty acid responsible for the purgative properties. Croton oil causes severe inflammation on the skin[299 ]. Crotin is a mixture of the toxic proteins croton globulin and croton albumin. It has haemolytic and blood coagulant properties with a delayed poisonous effect. In humans erythrocytes are merely deformed and rapid antibody formation is induced[299 ]. The vesicant and irritant properties of the seed oil are mainly due to croton resin, which contains esters of long-chain fatty acids and the diterpene phorbol. Such phorbol esters also show paradoxical biological activity, some being strongly co-carcinogenic, others having anti-cancer activity[299 ]. The seed and seed oil have long been used in tropical Asia as a strong purgative, cathartic and poison[299 ]. In Malaysia one seed is eaten as a purgative by adults and coconut milk is drunk to stop the effect. The seed oil was formerly included in several pharmacopoeias as a purgative, but because the oil is not stable, it has proved unreliable and has therefore been excluded[299 ]. The oil is a strong vesicant but diluted it can be employed as a counterirritant for various skin affections[299 ]. The seed oil and bark were widely used in folk medicine as a remedy for cancerous sores and tumours, carbuncles, colds, dysentery, fever, paralysis, scabies, schistosomiasis, snakebite, sore throat and toothache[299 ]. The powdered seeds mixed with dates are eaten as a purgative[299 ]. The root is used as an abortifacient and purgative[299 , 332 ]. The leaves are used as a poultice to treat snakebites[299 , 332 ].

Agroforestry Uses: Plants are grown as a monocrop or as an intercrop with cacao or coffee, providing some shade[299 ]. The plant has some potential in suppressing the very invasive lalang grass, Imperata cylindrica[332 ]. Other Uses An extract of the seed can be used as an insecticide for field application and in stored cereals and pulses[299 ]. Aqueous extracts of latex and stem bark showed molluscicidal activity against the freshwater snails Lymnaea acuminata and Indoplanorbis exustus; at high doses these extracts were also lethal to the freshwater fish Channa punctatus[299 ]. The seed oil may also be used in the production of soap and candles. However, for illumination it can only be used outdoors as the smoke is toxic[299 ].

Special Uses

Carbon Farming