Common Name:

General Information

Strophanthus amboensis is an erect deciduous shrub that can grow up to 4 metres tall or becoming a climbing plant with stems up to 20 metres long. The stems are up to 20cm in diameter[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It has unusual and beautiful flowers, which makes it an interesting ornamental for the garden[].

Known Hazards

The seeds are used in the preparation of arrow poison[].

Botanical References

Range

West Africa - western DR Congo, Angola, Namibia.

Habitat

Forest margins, woodland and thorn scrub, often in rock fissures, at elevations from 450 - 2,000 metres[]. Dry bushveld and rocky places in South West Africa and southern Angola[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Climber
Height	12.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the roots or leaves is taken against rheumatism[].

An enema of the root is used to treat venereal diseases[].
The pounded root is mixed with oil and applied as an ointment to treat scabies[].

About ten cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) have been isolated from the seeds, of which the most important are based on the aglycone sarverogenin: mainly intermedioside and panstroside, and traces of amboside, leptoside, kwangoside and sarveroside. These glycosides are highly toxic[]. The aglycones sarverogenin and sarmentogenin have also been isolated[].
Sarverogenin has also been isolated from the root and bark after hydrolysis[].
Leptoside has a weak cardio-stimulant action[].
Cell suspension cultures from the leaves, to which digitoxigenin was added, produced 6 transformation products, e.g. Periplogenin[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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