An erect biennial (occasionally annual) plant growing up to 1.5 m tall, with a glaucous blue-green stem. The leaves are arranged in decussate opposite pairs, and are lanceolate, 5-15 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, glaucous blue-green with a waxy texture and pale greenish-white midrib and veins. The flowers are green to yellow-green, 4 mm diameter, with no petals. The seeds are green ripening brown or grey, produced in globular clusters 13-17 mm diameter of three seeds compressed together

Anticancer, antiseptic, cathartic, emetic and purgative (plant); violent purgative and rubefacient (leaves); depilatory (latex in the stems); diuretic, parasiticide, antitumor and purgative (seed)

Plants For A Future

Betulin (plant); beta-sitosterol, ferulic acid, kaempferol, p-coumaric acid, quercetin (leaves); taraxerol (stem); daphnetin, oleic acid (seed); L-DOPA (latex exudate)

The latex in the stems has been used externally to remove corns and warts. The seed has been used in the treatment of dropsy, ascites with abdominal distension, constipation, oliguria, tumours, amenorrhoea, schistosomiasis, scabies and snake bites. The fresh seed has an antitumor action, effective against acute lymphocytic and granulocytic leukaemia. One seed capsule is said to cause catharsis, several to cause an abortion.

Contraindicated for weak or pregnant patients.

Jing-Nuan Wu. An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica. P: 304, Oxford University Press, Inc.2005.