Common Name:

General Information

Jatropha glauca is a little-branched shrub growing up to 1 metre tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It has potential as a moluscicidal, for use in controlling the vectores of schistosomiasis.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia; Arabian Peninsula - Yemen, Saudi Arabia.

Habitat

Open bush land, extending to semi-desert conditions, on lava and limestone, at elevations from sea-level up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The whole plant, including the root, is mashed in water and the liquid is taken to treat constipation and is used as ear drops to treat earache[].

The sap is taken as an astringent[].

Other Uses

Methanol and chloroform extracts of fresh or dry leaves showed significant molluscicidal activity against the snail vector of schistosomiasis, Biomphalaria pfeifferi. The chloroform extract of the dry leaves showed the highest activity (LD50 10 - 100 ppm). Cold water extracts of the dry leaves also showed molluscicidal activity[].

Propagation

Seed -

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