Common Name:

General Information

Euphorbia thymifolia is a prostrate annual plant producing stems up to 25cm long. The stems usually produce numerous adventitious roots[].
The plant is a very popular medicinal herb in much of Africa and also in many other areas of the tropics. It is commonly harvested from the wild and is also sold in local markets.

Known Hazards

Although we have seen no specific information for this plant, the latex in most, if not all Euphorbias is caustic and toxic - skin contact often causing irritation and blistering; contact with the eyes causing temporary or even permanent blindness; whilst ingestion can cause purging or more severe problems[].

Botanical References

Range

Originally native to the tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas, but widely naturalized in many other areas of the tropics.

Habitat

A common weed of cultivated and waste ground, often on sandy or gravelly soils, at elevations up to 1,650 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.05 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A common weed of cultivated and waste ground, often on sandy or gravelly soils, at elevations up to 1,650 metres[].
Euphorbia thymifolia grows very rapidly and completes its life cycle in 3 - 4 months; it can be found flowering and fruiting throughout the year in warm tropical conditions[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant is widely used in Africa in decoction or infusion as a treatment for dysentery, enteritis, diarrhoea and venereal diseases[].
The plant is rich in medically active compounds. From an aqueous acetone extract of the dried whole plant a range of hydrolysable tannins have been isolated as well as several flavonoids[].
Both flavonoids and tannins have been reported to have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, haemostatic, antithrombic, antioxidant and vasoprotective actions[].
The flavonoids furthermore have antiviral, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumour properties[].
The essential oil from the leaves has a pungent odour and irritating taste, and contains cymol, carvacrol, limonene, sesquiterpenes and salicylic acid[].
An extract prepared with 1.5% HCl inhibited the growth of gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria[].
Ethyl acetate and chloroform extracts of the aerial parts of the plant inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri in vitro. The ethyl acetate extract was also found to be active against Shigella flexneri in vivo[].
The ethanol and water extracts of the whole plant showed significant antifungal activity against the dermatophytes Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton verrucosum in vitro and in vivo in calves[].
The ether extract of the whole plant showed significant activity against the Sarcoptes scabei mite, which causes scabies[].
Several extracts from the whole plant as well as several pure compounds have been shown to possess antioxidant activities. Some have also shown significant activity against Herpes simplex virus type 2 in vitro in a dose-dependent manner[].
Several derivatives of the tannin galloyl-β-D-glucose show significant cytotoxicity against a range of human tumour cell lines[].
In pot tests, infection of Vigna radiata by tomato spotted wilt virus was prevented by spraying the plants first with water extracts of whole Euphorbia thymifolia plants[].


The essential oil is put into medicinal soaps for treatment of erysipelas, sprays to keep off flies and mosquitoes, and a vermifuge for dogs[].

The dried leaves and seeds are slightly aromatic and are used as a stimulant, astringent, anthelmintic and laxative[]. Plant and seed decoctions are also taken as a galactagogue, and to treat hypertension and venereal diseases[].

An infusion of the leafy stems is taken as a bitter diuretic[]. The leaves are used in a decoction to treat cystitis and kidney ailments[]. A maceration of the dried leaves is drunk for facilitating childbirth; it is claimed to stimulate contractions of the uterus[].
The leaves are pulped with water and applied to the head to treat headache[]. The ground fresh leaves are rubbed in to treat intercostal pain[].

A decoction of the whole plant is drunk to treat lung problems, fever, influenza, hypertension, absence of menstruation and venereal diseases[].
A decoction of fresh aerial parts is applied externally to treat dermatitis, measles, eczema and skin inflammations[]. The decoction is also used as an eye wash to treat conjunctivitis[]. Fresh crushed plants are applied as a plaster for healing sprains[].
Crushed plants are rubbed on the scalp for strengthening the skull bones of children to enable them to carry loads on their heads as adults, and also as mild irritating rubefacient products to treat alopecia[].

Women with heavy menstruation drink the latex as a tonic[].
The latex is applied externally to treat to warts and as a remedy for ringworm and scabies[]. It is used in the treatment of eye swellings, discharge and conjunctivitis[].

Other Uses

The essential oil is put into sprays to keep off flies and mosquitoes[].

Propagation

Seed -

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