This species is closely related to Euphorbia unispina, and has similar uses[].

Common Name:

General Information

Euphorbia poissonii is an evergreen, succulent shrub or tree forming a candelabrum-like crown of branches. The plant can grow up to 2 metres tall with upright, cylindrical branches 30 - 40mm in diameter[].
The latex is harvested from wild plants or from those planted near villages[]. The plant is sometimes grown in gardens as an ornamental, and it is kept as a pot plant in succulent collections[]. Several compounds isolated from Euphorbia poissonii are internationally traded. Resiniferatoxin was sold on the internet in 2007 for US$ 35 (1 mg) to US$ 525 (25 mg); tinyatoxin was sold for US$ 60 (1 mg) to US$ 240 (5 mg). Euphorbia poissonii is also traded on the internet as an ornamental plant[].

Known Hazards

The latex is very caustic and toxic, and very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. It can cause blindness when in contact with the eyes[].
The latex is highly poisonous when added to food, drinking water and kola nuts, and in Nigeria homicides are sometimes committed through Euphorbia poissonii poisoning[].
The latex is used as fish poison[].
A piece of stem is mixed with the seeds of Strophanthus to prepare arrow poison[].
He latex is also used in bait to kill rodents and birds[].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Guinea to Nigeria, Gabon, ?Central African Republic.

Habitat

Rocks and dry stony soils, usually in open woodland with grass, at elevations from 400 - 700 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants are intolerant of frost[].
Prefers a position in light shade[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The latex is very caustic and toxic, and very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. It can cause blindness when in contact with the eyes. Despite its toxicity, it is used medicinally[].

A few drops of latex are applied to Guinea-worm sores and to skin papilloma. A few drops of latex with sugar cane or in palm wine or soup are taken as a purgative. In Cameroon the latex extracted from the leaves is applied to treat lumbago. It is also placed in a carious tooth to relieve toothache or to help to loosen the tooth and render extraction easier[].

The latex contains esters of the diterpene tigliane type alcohols 12-deoxyphorbol and 12-deoxy-16-hydroxyphorbol, the diterpene daphnane type alcohol resiniferonol, and several esters of the macrocyclic diterpene alcohol 19-hydroxyingol, e.g. The pentacyclic euphorianin. Most compounds isolated are mono- and di-esters of 12-deoxyphorbol. Daphnane esters are generally known for their potent skin irritant properties, whereas tigliane esters are toxic and tumour promoters; however, some of the tigliane compounds, especially 12-deoxyphorbol derivatives, possess anticancer activities[].
The variety of irritant compounds present in high concentrations is reflected by the irritant activity of the latex, which is more than 30 times stronger in Euphorbia poissonii latex (ID50 = 0.1 μg / 5 μl) than in the latex of e.g. Euphorbia unispina, although after 24 hours both activities have almost the same value. The isolated aromatic esters of the daphnane type are more potent irritants in mouse ear tests than the aromatic tigliane esters, especially resiniferatoxin (ID50 = 0.00021 nMol / 5 μg) and tinyatoxin (ID50 = 0.0012 nMol / 5 μg). Of the 6 isolated aromatic tigliane esters, the highly irritant 12-deoxyphorbol-13-O-phenylacetate-20-O-acetate (ID50 = 0.075 nMol / 5 μg) is the major compound; candletoxin A, candletoxin B and DPP ( 12-deoxyphorbol 13-phenylacetate) are also strongly irritant. The irritant activity of resiniferatoxin and tinyatoxin is rapid. It reaches a maximum within 4 hours and then fades to inactivity after 24 hours[].
Resiniferatoxin and tinyatoxin are highly toxic, as they bind to pain receptors in the same way as capsaicin, but much more powerfully. They stimulate the neurons to fire repeatedly until the neuron dies, causing searing pain and sending the victim into severe anaphylactic shock. Resiniferatoxin is used in the treatment of incontinence associated with an overactive bladder. It also has antifeedant and analgesic properties. Efforts have been made to synthesize this compound. In laboratory tests, DPP induced the expression of HIV-1 in latently infected T cells and rendered them sensitive to killing by an immunotoxin. DPP is 20- to 40-fold more potent than the related phorbol ester prostratin, and the combination of high potency and antitumour promoting activity makes DPP an attractive candidate for therapy of HIV-1 infection[].
During further phytochemical studies on the latex, derivatives of 19-hydroxyingol were isolated. These compounds showed cytotoxic activities against 6 human solid tumour cell lines (lung carcinoma, breast carcinoma, colon adrenocarcinoma, kidney carcinoma, prostate adenocarcinoma and pancreatic carcinoma). Moreover, most of the 12-deoxyphorbol ester derivatives showed selective cytotoxicity for the human kidney carcinoma cell line with potencies for one compound exceeding those of the anticancer drug adriamycin by 10,000 times[].

Agroforestry Uses:

It is sometimes planted in gardens and around fields and graveyards as a hedge[].

Other Uses

The latex is said to be added sometimes to tobacco snuff to increase its pungency[].

Propagation

Seed -
Stem cuttings should be at least 20 cm long and preferably cut from the base of a branch where the cut surface is woody. After cutting they should be allowed to dry for at least 2 weeks for a callus to form on the cut end[].

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