Common Name:

General Information

Croton menyharthii is a much-branched shrub or tree growing up to 5 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.
Croton menyharthii has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern and southern Africa - Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, S. Africa.

Habitat

Deciduous bushland, dune bushland and thickets, from sea-level up to 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Most Croton species are relatively indifferent to their habitat and can grow on a wide range of soils in both disturbed and undisturbed vegetation[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of fresh or dried roots is taken to treat dysmenorrhoea, influenza and malaria[]. The crushed root bark in water is taken to treat intestinal obstruction[].

Fresh or dried crushed leaves in water are drunk to treat hepatitis and tapeworm[].
The smoke of burnt leaves is inhaled to ease pregnancy and menstruation pains[].

A methanol extract of the leaves or twigs has shown significant antiplasmodial activity in vitro, while a water extract was inactive[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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