Common Name: West Indian Pink

General Information

West Indian pink is an annual plant growing 10 - 130cm tall from a cluster of shallow roots[, ]. The plant usually has an unbranched, single stem, though sometimes has a few, nearly leafless branches that flower at their tips[].
The plant has a high reputation, especially in tropical America, for ridding the body of intestinal parasites, especially tapeworms[]. It is commonly gathered from the wild and is traded internationally[].

Known Hazards

Although used medicinally, the plant is poisonous and has been used in criminal poisoning[, ]. Effects of a medicinal overdose in humans include excitement, dizziness, delirium, dilation of the pupils, vomiting and convulsions[].
Ingestion of the plant may cause dimness of vision with dilated pupils, giddiness, spasms of eye and facial muscles, and convulsions; it can be fatal to children[].
The fresh plant has been used as a rat poison[].
Fruiting plants, eaten in large quantities, are poisonous to cattle, causing death 2 - 3 hours after ingestion. However, the intake of sufficient other forage, may cancel out the toxic effects[].

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - Brazil. Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas, north through the West Indies to Florida and through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Damp thickets at elevations below 500 metres in Guatemala[]. Along roadsides, in waste places, arable land, gardens, rice fields and on riverbanks, at elevations from sea-level up to 600 metres in Africa[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.75 m
Pollinators	Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any fertile soil in a position in full sun or partial shade[].
The plant has become naturalized in many parts of the tropics outside its native range, particularly in Africa and Indonesia[, ].
Plants can flower and produce seed all year round[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Although used medicinally, the whole plant is toxic and should not be used internally without expert guidance. Caution is needed not to apply high doses as these cause convulsions[]. Because of the toxicity of the plant, it is essential that immediately after a dose is taken to treat worm infections, a strong purge is taken as a chaser. Some fatal cases have been reported, especially in children[].

Both roots and leaves are vermifuge[, ]. The plant is also used to treat spasmodic and nervous attacks[]. A decoction of the plant is used internally as a treatment against thrush and hypertension[, ].
A decoction is gargled to treat sore throat[].
The sap is rubbed into scarifications to treat chest complaints[].
The sap from the leaves is used to treat eye infections[].

In the German homeopathic pharmacopoeia, an extract of the aerial parts is official as a remedy for neuralgic and cardiac disorders[].

The plant contains quaternary alkaloids, the major ones being spiganthine, ryanodine and structurally related compounds. The highest concentrations of alkaloids are present in the roots and in the fruit wall[].
Spiganthine and ryanodine are the main cardioactive principles. The effect is characterized by a delay in contraction development of the heart muscle[].
The leaves contain the toxic alkaloid spigeline. Spigeline has been shown to have affinities with nicotine and lobeline, and is used as a vermifuge[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used as a repellent to deter cockroaches[].
Alkaloids obtained from the plant, such as spiganthine, ryanodine and related compounds, have demonstrated antifeedant activity against some beetles. In addition, considerable insecticidal activities were observed[].
An ethyl acetate extract and a methanol extract of the aerial parts had a significant inhibitory effect on egg hatching and larval development of the sheep and goat nematode Haemonchus contortus[].
Anthelmintic trials against Nippostrongylus braziliensis in rats, using the aqueous fraction, showed a progressive decrease in worm count with increasing dose[].
Crude ethanol extracts of leaves have shown significant mortality in the tick Boophilus microplus[].

Propagation

Seed - remains viable for at lest three years[]. Freshly sown seeds have shown a period of dormancy[].

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