Common Name:

General Information

Tragia brevipes is a straggly, climbing or occasionally erect plant with more or less woody stems from 1 - 4.5 metres long. The stems usually scramble over the ground and twine into the surrounding vegetation[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

The plant has stinging hairs[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - ?Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, ?Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Riverine vegetation, along lake shores, in thickets and in high rainfall Brachystegia woodland, at elevations from sea-level up to 2,150 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	2.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A root decoction is taken as a purgative, especially for babies and small children. The roots are given to women with labour pain[].

A decoction of roots and leaves is drunk to promote conception[].
Leaves, roots and twigs are used to treat poliomyelitis[].

Pain caused by rheumatism is treated by rubbing the leaves on the painful joints. A leaf extract is drunk to cure gonorrhoea, to kill internal parasites including tapeworm and to treat stomach-ache, diarrhoea and gastroenteritis[].
The ash of burnt leaves is inhaled to cure elephantiasis

A methanol extract of the fruits has antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus[].
Extracts of leaves, stems and roots did not show activity against a panel of bacteria and fungi[].
An ethanolic leaf extract showed significant activity against Entamoeba histolytica[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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