Common Name:

General Information

Clerodendrum infortunatum is an erect shrub or small tree that can grow from 1 - 5 metres tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, valused especially for its aromatic flowers.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Andaman Islands, Thailand, Malaysia.

Habitat

Thickets and village groves, often growing gregariously, forming a dense under-vegetation, and specially associated with bamboos; at elevations from sea-level up to 500 metres[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	2.50 m
Pollinators	Lepidoptera, Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun or partial shade[]. Grows best in a moist but well-drained, humus-rich soil[].
Flowers are produced on the current seasons growth and so, to encourage flowering, any pruning is best carried out when the plant is dormant[].
The flowers have a foetid aroma[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked. Used as a potherb[]. The leaves of species in this genus usually have a bitter flavour and are often eaten at least as much for their tonic affect upon the digestive system as for any appeal to the taste buds[].

Medicinal

Various parts are used both internally and/or externally in traditional Indian medicine to treat coughs, skin diseases and tumours, and as a vermifuge and expectorant[].

The leaves are anthelmintic, diuretic and emetic[, ]. The leaves are an effective antiperiodic and tonic[]. A decoction is used in the treatment of blenorrhoea[].
The leaf sap is used as an antiseptic skin wash[]. The heated leaves are applied as a poultice on a swollen stomach[]. They are pounded and then applied as a poultice to burns, ulcers, boils and skin diseases[]. They are an ingredient of a herbal bath for newborn children[] and the juice from the leaves is an ingredient of a herbal bath for children with furuncles[].

The root is antiperiodic, diuretic, galactagogue, laxative and vermifuge. It is used as an antidote for Antiaris poisoning and dysentery, and also in the treatment of intestinal infections and kidney dysfunction[, ]. It is said to have been used successfully in the treatment of jaundice[, ].

A paste made from the roots and leaves is used to treat skin diseases[].

The slender stem is used as a toothbrush to relieve toothache[].

Cabruvin and quercetin, flavonoids isolated from roots of Clerodendrum infortunatum, showed antifungal activity. Cabruvin at 200, 500 and 1000 mg/ml exhibited good inhibition of spore germination of Alternaria carthami and Helminthosporium oryzae (Cochliobolus miyabeanus). Quercetin at the same concentrations exhibited good inhibition of spore germination of A. alternata and Fusarium lini.[]

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20 - 60 days at 20°c[]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.
Root cuttings, 6 - 8cm long usually grow away well[].
Division of suckers in the dormant season. Very easy, they can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required.

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