Common Name: Croton Oil Plant

General Information

Croton tiglium is an erect, evergreen shrub or small tree growing up to 7 metres tall[].
The plant has a very long history of herbal use, being employed as a powerful laxative and as an oil to treat a wide range of skin problems. It has been grown for these uses for more than 2,000 years and is still often cultivated nowadays. The plant is also sometimes grown as an ornamental[, ]. The roots, seeds and seed oil are all locally traded in India and South-East Asia and the oil is exported to Europe[].
Croton tiglium 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(2019)[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous[].
The seeds are known to be very poisonous, and are used as fish poison or for criminal purposes - four seeds can be a lethal dose for a human adult[]. The toxic principles are crotonol, an extremely vesicant resin; and crotin, a delayed-action poison which causes blood-clotting. Symptoms of croton oil poisoning are firstly pain at the back of the throat, then in the anus. A dose of bismuth is an immediate antidote[].
Croton oil, obtained from the seed, is heavily irritating; contact with the skin causes inflammation and oedema[].
Croton tiglium poisoning is traditionally treated with a decoction of Coptis teeta and string beans[].
Several esters of the diterpene phorbol have been isolated from croton resin. Some of these have shown antileukaemic activity but in general, however, these phorbol esters as found in Croton tiglium and many other Croton species are extremely irritant and also tumour promotors. Their presence in Croton tiglium and Croton flavens means their consumption is sometimes held responsible for certain forms of nasopharyngeal cancer as they are able to activate Epstein-Barr viruses[, ].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Montane sparse forests, limestone shrublands at elevations of 300 - 700 metres in southern China[]. Occurs in a wide range of vegetation and soil types at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	7.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics and subtropics, it tolerates an annual rainfall of 600 - 1,200 mm and an annual temperature in the range 21 - 27.5°c[].
Succeeds in soils with a pH ranging from 4.5 - 7.5[]. Succeeds in very poor soils[].
Plants start flowering after about 18 months, Seed yield in the third year may be 200 - 750 kg seed/ha[]. By the sixth year plants have reached full bearing and yields are 750 - 1,000, occasionally to 2,000 kg/ha[].
The seed oil of Croton tiglium is commonly used in laboratories throughout the world for its vesicant properties. The phorbol esters isolated from the oil also have interesting tumour-promoting or tumour-inhibiting properties, and although much research has been done, more is needed to elucidate their future potential. As the other parts of the plant are poisonous as well, it might be worthwhile investigating their chemistry and pharmacology. A large number of pharmaceutical applications of Croton tiglium are being patented in China. The extensive ongoing research may lead to new developments elsewhere too[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Extreme caution should be taken with all medical applications of this plant in view of its extreme toxicity[].
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[].
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[].
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[].

The seed and seed oil have long been used in tropical Asia as a strong purgative, cathartic and poison[]. Croton oil is one of the strongest laxatives, which has become obsolete because of its toxicity and co-carcinogenic properties. Even in the past, it was only prescribed in cases of especially persistent constipation[].
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[].
The oil is a strong vesicant but diluted it can be employed as a counterirritant for various skin affections[]. 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[].

The powdered seeds mixed with dates are eaten as a purgative[].

The root is used as an abortifacient and purgative[, ].

An infusion of the leaves is ised to treat infections[].
The leaves are used as a poultice to treat snakebites[, ].

In homoeopathy, croton is prescribed in cases of acute gastroenteritis with watery stool as well as in cases of acute blistery eczema, especially of the genitalia[].

In the USA, an emulsion of croton oil with phenol and a detergent is used in plastic surgery for a method of skin peeling[].

The seeds are harvested when the fruit is ripe but its pericarp has still not opened. After drying, the fruit is threshed to release the seeds[]

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants are grown as a monocrop or as an intercrop with cacao or coffee, providing some shade[].
The plant has some potential in suppressing the very invasive lalang grass, Imperata cylindrica[].
The plant has been grown as a hedge[].

Other Uses

The seeds of Croton tiglium contain 53 - 57% of the so-called croton oil and 18% protein. The main ingredients of the oil are glycerides of oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, tiglic acid and other esters of tiglic acid and crotonic acid with the diterpene alcohol phorbol[]
The seed oil may be used in the production of soap and candles. However, for illumination it can only be used outdoors as the smoke is toxic[].

An extract of the seed can be used as an insecticide for field application and in stored cereals and pulses[].
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[].

The oil is a banned substance in commercial cosmetics according to the Cosmetics Regulation[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings

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