Giant Milkweed - very TOXIC!

[Guest guest]

Hi Sharon, & All,

 

> Hi all, I've been doing some " Field Research " on Danaicao ... thought

> you might be interested in some of my results! I've posted it on my

> blog. Can an herb actually improve a patient´s luck? Sharon

 

Sharon, I would be very wary of giving Giant Milkweed orally!

 

If people believe that it brings luck, I would advise them to wear it externally

in a locket rather

than to take it internally!

 

See below.

 

Contrary to what its Chinese characters suggest, Danaicao is NOT " Giant Milk

Weed " . It is

Euphorbia hirta / Centipede euphorbia, better known in Chinese as Dafeiyang /

Dafeiyangcao

 

Giant Milkweed in Chinese is Niujiaogua ; Baihuaniujiaogua [Calotropis

procera]

is a related plant;

 

WWW Data, especially tinyurl.com/yhk68gk says:

 

Calotropis gigantea / procera; Asclepias gigantea; Madorius giganteus; Periploca

cochinchinensis; Streptocaulon cochinchinensis;

 

Giant Calotrope, Giant Milkweed, Holy Milk Hedge; Crown Flower; Crownplant,

King´s Crown,

Gigantic Swallow Root, Gigantic Swallow-Wort, Swallow Wort; Rubber Bush, Sodom

Apple,

Mudar, Madar, Roostertree; Arka (red Fl), Alarka (white Fl); Ashkar; Oshar;

Oshur; Ushar;

M?d?r; Yercum;

 

it is erect, branched herb / subshrub; common in waste places;

 

parts used: MILKY SAP, Fl, Fm, Cx, Rx, Cx-Rx; Fl is white red / purple; Acrid;

 

all parts are TOXIC orally; high doses can kill; SAP forced down throat has been

used in

infanticide; 1 dram (3.7ml; say 4ml) of SAP will cause a dog to foam at mouth +

die in 15

minutes; SAP is caustic + irritant on skin; may cause swelling + ulceration; it

is ipecacuanha-

like in many of its actions + uses;

 

ACTIONS: Emetic; Purgative; Analgesic; Make Sweat; Clear Toxin; Vermifuge;

Tonic;

Aphrodisiac; Rx, Cx + inspissated SAP are powerful alteratives + purgatives;

 

when cut, every part of Hb leaks MILKY SAP / latex ( " vegetable mercury " );

internally, SAP is

drastic purgative + emetic; it has bitter principle, calotropin (or gigantin), a

cardiotoxic

glycoside, used as poison on arrows + for homicide, suicide + fish poison; it

has 4 other

glycosides, calactin, calotoxin, fuscharin + uscharidin, also a powerful

bacteriolytic enzyme

like papain; SAP may serve as a depilatory; Dried, SAP is smoked to Ease Asthma;

SAP

mixed w salt is used as Topical in toothache dt caries; wounds; aphthae, skin

diseases;

sores / ulcers; very good in leprosy, lues, taenia, herpes, dropsy, rheumatism,

fever~ hectic +

intermittent, typhus fever, syphilis; Arka Taila oil to Tx eczema + other

eruptive skin diseases:

Prep Sesame oil 4 seers, Arka Fm SAP 16 seers, Turmeric (/ use Orpiment instead)

reduced

to a paste 1 seer ; boil together + discard dregs; SAP of young buds in

ear-ache; SAP of

Bawangbian (Euphorbia neriifolia) + C gigantea + Berberis asiatica wood powder

is made

into plugs for insertion into anus sinuses + fistula; used orally as purgative w

MILKY SAP of

Bawangbian;

 

Fm mixed w food can poison humans + high doses can poison cattle cattle; In

India, a

handful of Fm is crushed + given orally to cattle to make them more alert +

active; Fm

moistened w oil + warmed as dry fomentation for abdomen pain / rubefacient; Fm

poultice for

sepsis / abscesses; Fm mixed w rock salt, roasted in closed vessels, so that

fumes may not

escape; ashes thus produced are given w whey in ascites + enlargements of

abdominal

viscera;

 

Fl: Digestive, Aid ST, Tonic; Ease Cough; Fl essence to boost courage; Tx cough,

asthma,

appetite loss + Phlegm;

 

Mudar Tincture: Rx powder is macerated in cold rectified spirit; spirit is

recovered by

distillation + solution is allowed to cool; granular resin is deposited + dried;

Mudarine

congeals in heat + becomes fluid again on exposure to cold; If water is added,

coloured

solution from which resin was deposited dissolves + resin remains; This solution

is called

Mudarine (Bitter~ very; soluble in alcohol + cold water, but insoluble in

sulphuric ether / olive-

oil); paste of Rx powder is very good as Topical for sores / ulcers~ chronic;

 

Cx-Rx is Emetic; Generate Fluids / Increase Secretions; skin diseases, abdomen

visceral

(LV, SP, etc) enlargement; SI-LI worms, cough, ascites, anasarca, etc; paste of

Cx-Rx +

sour congee, is applied to elephantiasis of legs + scrotum; as Inhalation for

cough / asthma:

soak Arka Cx-Rx powder in its own MILKY SAP + then dry it + make bougies /

cigarettes w it;

inhale fumes;

 

Cx powder orally in doses of 5-6 grains (300-360mg) BID can produce nausea +

vomiting but

a dose of castor-oil clears those SSs; paste of Cx as Topical in neurodermatitis

+ syphilis;

 

USES: hysteria, cramps / convulsions, epilepsy, paralysis, fever, gout; cough,

asthma,

dyspnoea, pain, skin diseases, esp leprosy; Worms; bites of poisonous animals,

snake bite;

scorpion stings; cowardice / courage~ loss

 

Akinloye, AK, Abatan, MO, Alaka OO & 'Oke, BO (2002) Histomorphometric and

histopathological studies on the effect of Calotropis procera (Giant Milkweed)

on male

reproductive organs of Wistar rats; African Journal of Biomedical; Research Vol

5; 57-61;

Depts of 1Vet Anatomy, 2Vet Physiology/ Pharmacology + 3Vet Pathology, Univ of

Ibadan;

Ibadan, Nigeria; Histomorphometric + histopathological evaluations of effects of

fresh leaf

extract of Calotropis procera on reproductive organs of male wistar rats given

20g/kg body

weight of extract once daily, orally, for varying number of days showed varying

degrees of

desquamation of seminiferous epithelial cells, degeneration of seminiferous

tubules +

presence of large-sized multinucleated cells as well as significant reduction (P

< 0.05) in

seminiferous tubular diameter; epididymis of test rats showed cell debris,

numerous

immature round cells + pinkish homogenous material in lumens while epithelia

appeared

normal; There was a general reduction in mean ductular + luminal diameter while

fluctuating

changes were observed in epithelial height of epididymis of treated rats;

accessory glands of

test rats showed pinkish homogenous fluid as well as inflammatory cells in lumen

+ glandular

degeneration of seminal vesicles; At high doses (20g/kg for varying number of

days)

Calotropis procera damaged testes + accessory sex organs;

 

NOTE: Bawangbian (Euphorbia neriifolia / cristata) has many synonyms, incl:

Chousong ;

Chunyangcao ; Huohong ; Huowang ; Huoxiang ; Huoyan ;

Huoyangle ;

Huoyangle ; Jiazhutaoqilin ; Jingangshu ; Jingangzuan ;

Linjiao ;

Longgucao ; Longguci ; Meizedaji ; Qilinjiao ; Qilinzhang

;

Rouqilin ; Wulengjingang ; Xiaoqinglong ; Yangbu'ai ;

Yangbukai ;

Yangya ; Yuanjingang

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Phil,

 

I can't find Da Nai Cao in my " Chinese Medical Herbology & Pharmacology " by Chen

& Chen. I can't find it on TCMAdvisor.com either.

 

Where did you find the Chinese Therapeutic Actions, Properties, & Channels

Entered?

 

Sharon,

Regarding " Field Research " , I would really like to know what part of the plant

was used & how it was administered to clients.

 

Reagards,

Greta

[Guest guest]

Hi Greta & Sharon,

 

> Phil, I can't find Da Nai Cao in my " Chinese Medical Herbology &

> Pharmacology " by Chen & Chen. I can't find it on TCMAdvisor.com

> either. Where did you find the Chinese Therapeutic Actions, Properties,

> & Channels Entered?

 

Re Euphorbia hirta / Centipede euphorbia, using the Chinese characters, I

found nothing on medicinal uses of (Danaicao) on WWW.

 

However, there are a few Chinese hits on its synonym (Feiyangcao)

or (Dafeiyangcao) at http://tinyurl.com/yhn34aa

 

The most detailed Google Translation is at http://tinyurl.com/yjdn75w - if you

copy that into Wenlin, you can get a better translation. Another useful

Google translation is at http://tinyurl.com/ygwdfmy - if you copy that into

Wenlin, you can get a better translation.

 

Re Giant MIlkweed [Calotropis gigantea / procera / Asclepias gigantea /

Madorius giganteus / Periploca cochinchinensis / Streptocaulon

cochinchinensis - Niujiaogua ; Baihuaniujiaogua ] there

are hits in Chinese at http://tinyurl.com/yfq2vk5

 

There are several hits in English at http://tinyurl.com/ykwokmd

 

See especially http://tinyurl.com/yglthe2 - prolonged use of high doses

induced definite testicular damage in rats. However, intro also said: " Jain et

al (1996) reported that Calotropis procera was used in traditional medicine

as a purgative, anthelmintic, anticancer as well as to treat leucoderma,

ulcers, piles and disease of the spleen. Saha et a/ (1961) described the

plant to be an abortifacient while Malhi and Trivedi (1972) observed it to be

an antifertility agent. Hilal and Youngken (1983) observed that calotropis

procera has uterine stimulating effect while Prakash et al (1978) showed

that it has embryotoxic effects. Edman (1983), Al-Robai et al (1993a) and

Hussein et al (1994) reported the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac

glycosides as well as sterols and uscharin in the entire part of the plant,

Calotropis procera. "

 

See also: http://www.payer.de/ayurveda/pflanzen/calotropis_gigantea.htm

and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calotropis

 

http://tinyurl.com/yfon7dh says:

Calotropis gigantea - Niujiaogua , aka Yangjinshu ;

Duanchangcao ; also Lingbaihuaniujiaogua C procera;

parts used: aerial parts + milky latex; Cool; TOXIC~ extremely [has many

potent cardiac glycosides]; Bitter; Enters LU; Attack Toxin + Vermicide +

Ease Itch; Release Toxin; Tx various skin tinea + papillomas; NOT for

internal use; as Topical: qs;

 

Best regards,