Description

A herb or woody undershrub to over 1 m high, of grassy savanna, and a weed of cultivated places. Recorded from limited localities in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and N Nigeria; occurring in E Africa and widely dispersed in tropics and subtropics of the Old World.No use is recorded within the Region. In Somalia it is recognised as poisonous and if taken causes pain in the stomach (4). Cattle in Kordofan will browse it a little but only while still green (7). The whole plant is pounded and boiled for washing areas of the body affected by scabies in Tanganyika (5). Roots are boiled and the liquor is taken for constipation (6), and they are used for snake-bite treatment (1). Smoke from the burning plant is used in Kenya to kill caterpillars boring into maize cobs (3). In India the leaves in infusion are used for headache (2).The seeds are said to have laxative, carminative and diuretic properties. A clear deep yellow oil can be extracted from them, which contains myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids and a-sitosterol. The defatted seed-cake contains a fibrous mucilage which can be hydrolysed to galactose, arabinose and rhamnose and aldobionic acid. A reddish brown colouring matter, maderin, and an essential oil are reported present (2).

Description

A herb or woody undershrub to over 1 m high, of grassy savanna, and a weed of cultivated places. Recorded from limited localities in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and N Nigeria; occurring in E Africa and widely dispersed in tropics and subtropics of the Old World.No use is recorded within the Region. In Somalia it is recognised as poisonous and if taken causes pain in the stomach (4). Cattle in Kordofan will browse it a little but only while still green (7). The whole plant is pounded and boiled for washing areas of the body affected by scabies in Tanganyika (5). Roots are boiled and the liquor is taken for constipation (6), and they are used for snake-bite treatment (1). Smoke from the burning plant is used in Kenya to kill caterpillars boring into maize cobs (3). In India the leaves in infusion are used for headache (2).The seeds are said to have laxative, carminative and diuretic properties. A clear deep yellow oil can be extracted from them, which contains myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids and a-sitosterol. The defatted seed-cake contains a fibrous mucilage which can be hydrolysed to galactose, arabinose and rhamnose and aldobionic acid. A reddish brown colouring matter, maderin, and an essential oil are reported present (2).