Common Name:

General Information

Jatropha chevalieri is a deciduous, somewhat succulent shrub that can grow up to 1.5 metres tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

The plant is toxic to herbivores[, ].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger.

Habitat

Found mainly on sandy soils, e.g. sand dunes. In the dry zone of Mauritania it occurs in wadis, in the Sahel zone it is found in savannah and shrub vegetation[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in the wild mainly on sandy soils[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The leaves and latex are considered haemostatic and vulnerary; they are applied directly on wounds to stop bleeding[, ]. The latex is also locally applied to mumps[].

The root extract is taken for treating complications of syphilis and leprosy[, ].

Oil from the grilled seeds is applied to boils and abscesses[]. Powdered seed, mixed with lizard fat, is massaged onto the skin to treat spleen pain[].

The latex of Jatropha chevalieri contains the cyclic oligopeptides chevalierin A, B, and C. Chevalierin A showed weak activity against Plasmodium falciparum[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used to apply henna to the skin[].

Propagation

Seed -

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