Common Name:

General Information

Lonchocarpus chrysophyllus is a vigorous climbing shrub with woody stems that twine high into the surrounding vegetation[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It has potential for use as a commercial source of the insecticide rotenone.

Known Hazards

The plant contains rotenone and has been used traditionally as a fish poison[] - the rotenone kills or stuns the fish making them easy to catch, but the fish remain perfectly edible for mammals. Rotenone is classified by the World Health Organization as moderately hazardous. It is mildly toxic to humans and other mammals, but extremely toxic to many insects (hence its use as an insecticide) and aquatic life, including fish. This higher toxicity in fish and insects is because the lipophilic rotenone is easily taken up through the gills or trachea, but not as easily through the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. The lowest lethal dose for a child is 143 mg/kg, but human deaths from rotenone poisoning are rare because its irritating action causes vomiting. Deliberate ingestion of rotenone, however, can be fatal.
The compound decomposes when exposed to sunlight and usually has an activity of six days in the environment.

Botanical References

Range

Northern S. America - Surinam, Guyana

Habitat

Marshy creek forest[]. Pockets of forests on the borders of savannahs[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The whole plant has a strong cucumber aroma[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The root is used in the treatment of AIDS, cancer and sores[].

The raw sap from the stem is mixed with the crushed stem of Rhipsalis baccifera and then rubbed on the bite of a coral snake[].

The bark contains rotenone and is used to treat the bite of the Labaria snake and scorpion stings[]. The bark is boiled with Costus scaber, Justicia pectoralis and alum and used as an astringent for treating severe coughs[].

Other Uses

The roots are a source of rotenone, which is widely used as an insecticide[]. Rotenone is effective against a range of horticultural pests, such as aphids and caterpillars, and also against external body parasites like ticks, lice, fleas and flies. It is reported to be ineffective against bedbugs, cockroaches, scale insects and red spiders.[, , ]. The root contains around 2.1% rotenone (about 9.4% in the extractives) and was at one time trialled for commercial production[].
The rotenone can be found in various parts of the plant, but is generally most abundant in the bark, especially of the roots. The bark can be dried and powdered for use as an insecticidal dust[].

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].

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