Common Name:

General Information

Chrozophora senegalensis is a perennial plant with ascending or prostrate, much-branched stems up to 60cm tall, becoming more or less woody and persisting. The plant has a stout and very long taproot[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of dye.

Known Hazards

The plant can cause vomiting and diarrhoea in grazing animals[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Chad.

Habitat

Sandy soils, in seasonally flooded areas and on riverbanks in savannah regions with a pronounced dry season; also as a weed of cultivated land[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is anthelmintic and astringent[]. A leaf macerate is taken to treat tapeworm and roundworm[]. An infusion of the aerial parts is taken to treat stomach-ache and venereal diseases. An infusion of the whole plant is added to cereals and eaten as a remedy for diarrhoea[]. The aerial parts are also part of a complex medicine to treat venereal diseases and mental disorders[].
An enema made from the aerial parts is given to children with rickets[].
A maceration of the aerial parts is applied to wounds to improve healing[]. An infusion is applied topically to treat rheumatism[].

A root decoction is given to suckling babies to treat diarrhoea[].

A maceration of the leaves and roots is drunk to treat loss of hair and diabetes[].

A fruit maceration is taken to treat ophthalmia, conjunctivitis and night blindness[]. The fruit juice is used as eye drops to treat more severe cases[].

Other Uses

The aerial parts yield a black dye, which is used to colour mats[].

Propagation

Seed -

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