Common Name:

General Information

Jatropha gossypiifolia is a much-branched, somewhat succulent, deciduous to evergreen shrub growing up to 3 metres tall[, ].
Although poisonous, the plant is often used in traditional medicine, being harvested from the wild for local use. An attractive plant, it is often grown as an ornamental where it is valued in particular for its foliage, which is often tinted purplish or reddish, and for its dark red flowers[].

Known Hazards

The root contains jatrophine, a toxic alkaloid[].
The viscid sap is said to be poisonous[].
The fruits of the plant are poisonous to humans and animals. The toxic substance is a toxalbumin which, when eaten, leads to symptoms of gastro-enteritis and eventual death of some animals[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Paraguay, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Costa Rica to Mexico; Caribbean.

Habitat

Savannah woodland, riparian areas, monsoon vine forests and coastal foreshores, also as a weed of degraded pastures[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland tropics, often found in coastal areas. It is found in areas of Africa where the mean annual rainfall is between 400 - 1,200mm and there is a distinct dry season[].
Succeeds in full sun and light shade[]. Grows well in well-drained sand, sandy loams and stony soils[].
Often grown as an ornamental, the plant has seeds that are ejected away from the parent plant and can also be transported by water or in mud on vehicles. It has escaped from cultivation in many areas of the tropics and become naturalized. It has become a weed of areas such as degraded pastures, disturbed river frontages and old settlements, often forming dense thickets[]. In northern Australia it has become a noxious weed, especially of rangeland in seasonally inundated flood plains, where competition with other plant species is limited299].
Flowering can commence in plants as young as 4 - 6 weeks old, but generally starts 2 years after sowing[].
Plants can flower all year round if there is sufficient moisture in the soil[].

Edible Uses

There are reports that the leaves are sometimes eaten in some areas of west Africa[]. This is probably unwise - see the notes above on toxicity[].

Medicinal

The leaves are blood purifier, febrifuge, purgative and stomachic[, ]. A decoction is taken to cleanse the blood and for treating venereal disease, heart problems, diarrhoea, stomach ache and indigestion[, ]
The leaf-sap is applied to the tongues of babies for treating thrush[, , ]. A poultice of the leaves is used for treating sores, bruising, swellings, inflammations, headaches and piles[, , ]. An infusion of the leaves is mixed with soft grease for applying to cuts[].
The sap has a widespread reputation for healing wounds, as a haemostatic and for curing skin problems; it is applied externally to treat infected wounds, ulcers, cuts, abrasions, ringworm, eczema, dermatomycosis, scabies and venereal diseases[]. It is also used against pains, including bee and wasp stings[].

The fruits and seed are boiled in liquid as a remedy for stomach ache[].
The seeds are used as a purgative and to expel internal parasites[, , ]. In Madura, Indonesia, 20 seeds taken after roasting is considered to be a single dose for an adult[]. Curcin and an emetic are present[].

An oil obtained from the seeds is a powerful purgative and emetic, with an action similar to that of Jatropha curcas[, ]. It is taken to expel internal parasites[].
The oil has been used externally as a rubefacient to treat rheumatic conditions and a variety of skin conditions, including leprosy, although its use on the skin may also cause an irritative rash[, , ].

The yellowish-brown pith of old stems is sold in Ghana markets as a medicine to cure a headache. It is wrapped in a clean cloth and inserted into the nostrils of the patient to cause sneezing[].

A bark decoction is used as an emmenagogue[, ].
The dried and pulverized root bark is made into poultices and is taken internally to expel worms and to treat oedema[].

The whole plant has been popularly used in Costa Rica for treating cancers[].

The plant contains jatropholone terpenes, which have antitumor properties[]. Gossypibetiline, tetrahydrogossypibetiline, gadain and the irritant diterpenoid 12-deoxy-16-hydroxy-phorbol have been isolated[].
The leaf contains tannins and histamines[].
An alcoholic root extract showed significant inhibitory activity in different human cancer cell lines. This finding led to the isolation of the macrocyclic diterpenes jatrophone and related jatrophanes. In addition, it was found that jatrophone had direct inhibitory effects on contractions of cardiac and smooth muscle preparations, which were typically non-competitive in nature[].
An ethanol extract from the stems caused a significant and dose-dependent reduction of the systolic blood pressure[].
A leaf extract showed significant activity as an anticoagulant for haematological analyses. The anticoagulant effect of the extract was found to be comparable to that of dipotassium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. The leaf extract must be purified to remove interfering substances to make it suitable for biochemical analyses. On the contrary, the sap from the stem showed significant coagulant activity in vitro[].
Crude hot water extracts from the aerial parts were examined for antimalarial properties against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro, and were found to be capable of 100% growth inhibition[].
Hexane extracts of the fresh fruits showed significant activity against fungi and some bacteria[].
Stem sap was found to inhibit the growth of Helminthosporium oryzae and Alternaria brassicicola. The ethanolic stem extract showed significant larvicidal activity against larvae of the tick Boophilus microplus[].
In addition to the compounds mentioned above, phytochemical investigations revealed the presence of lignans (e.g. Gadain, jatrodien, gossypifan, gossypidien and prasanthaline) in the light petroleum extract of stem, root and seeds, the alkaloid jatrophine in the sap, and flavonoids (apigenin, vitexin and isovitexin) and triterpenes in the ethanolic leaf extract[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is often grown as a hedge[]. It is planted around African villages, where it is believed to confer protection from fire[].

Other Uses

An oil from the seed is used as a fuel in oil lamps[, ]. The energy value of the seed oil is 42,000 kJ/kg[].

The stem sap is strongly active against the snail Lymnaea acuminata in its aquatic environment. The toxicity of the sap is partly due to inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase, and on acid and alkaline phosphatases in the snail. The cyclic peptides cyclogossine A, B and C were isolated from the stem sap. Methanol and n-butanol extracts of unripe seeds showed significant molluscicidal activity against the snails Lymnaea luteola and Indoplanorbis exustus, the n-butanol extract being more toxic to the egg and adult stages of both snails. Furthermore, jatrophone and jatropholone A and B from the roots were tested against the snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Only jatrophone showed significant molluscicidal activity[].

Propagation

Seed -
Rhizome cuttings.
Stem cuttings.

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