Common Name:

General Information

Thesium lineatum is an erect, evergreen, hemi-parasitic, shrub growing from 75 - 200cm tall. The stiff stems branch towards their tops, the branches are somewhat spreading[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.

Known Hazards

The plant is responsible for fatal poisoning of cattle, sheep and goats. Thesiuside, a cardiac glucoside of the bufadienolide type, was identified as the active principle in poisoning[].

Botanical References

Range

Southern Africa - Namibia, S. Africa.

Habitat

Found at elevations from 600 - 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	1.20 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Thesium species are parasitic on a wide range of plants, without evident host specificity. However, specific details are lacking for most of the African species[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the crushed roots is taken to treat venereal diseases and uterine problems[].

Thesium species are hemi-parasitic and a complicating factor of research into the properties of the plants is that compounds extracted from Thesium may have been produced by the host plant. Thesinine (a pyrrolizidine alkaloid) isolated from Thesium might well be an example of transfer from a host[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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