Common Name: Elephant Root

General Information

Elephant root is a low shrub, producing at ground level annual stems 20 - 90 cm tall from the woody end of an elongate, often thickened rhizome up to 8 metres long[].
The rhizomes and bark are collected from the wild as a source of tannins and dyes, and are sold in local markets in southern Africa[].

Known Hazards

The seed is toxic to sheep (lethal dose 250 g), rabbits (lethal dose 5 - 7.5 g/kg) and guinea-pigs, causing gastro-enteritis and pulmonary oedema[].

Botanical References

Range

Southern Africa - Namibia to Mozambique, south to S. Africa.

Habitat

Often occurs gregariously in hot, dry areas with grassland and open scrub[]. Grassland and open Acacia-Combretum scrub at elevations of 1,060 - 1,360 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	0.75 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in the drier areas of tropical and subtropical climates.

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The seed has a sweetish taste followed by a burning sensation, but when roasted it has been used as a coffee substitute[].

Medicinal

The rhizome is used as a general remedy for intestinal and abdominal complaints such as diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach-ache[]. It is also used to treat painful menstruation, infertility in women and as a relief for heart troubles[].
Externally, it is used to treat haemorrhoids, and to cure skin diseases and acne[].
The face is held in the vapour arising from a warm infusion to treat acne[].
The root is steeped in water for 24 hours or longer, after which it is strained and ready for external use[]. For internal use, the infusion has to be boiled for 10 minutes first[].

Other Uses

The bark of the tuberous rhizome (usually including the roots), is a popular source of tanning and dyeing materials[]. To obtain the tannins, the rhizomes, or their bark only, are crushed, some water is added and the resulting paste is used[].
The rhizome contains 6 - 22% tannin and 17% sugar[]. The bark contains 25 - 30% tannin[]. The rhizome extract contains too much sugar for commercial exploitation as it tends to ferment[].
To dye grass for mat and basket weaving, the pounded rhizomes are boiled with the grass for several hours, giving a khaki, brown or reddish brown colour[].
Dye experiments on wool with a rhizome extract gave different colours according to the mordants used; for example, a yellow was obtained with stannous chloride; golden to orange with chromium chloride; orange-brown with ammonium molybdate; black with ammonium vanadate; and salmon with sodium wolfram or zinc sulphate[].

The seed yields 10% of a fixed oil[].

Propagation

Seed -

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