Calotropis procera

Calotropis procera

Common Names:

in English:

apple of Sodom, cotton leaf, Dead Sea apple, Dead Sea fruit, English cotton, French cotton, giant milkweed, milkweed, mudar plant, Sodom apple, swallow wort

in Arabic:

achur, ashkar, baranbakh, eshar, esshero, kerenka, koruga, korunka, krenka, ngeyi, ochar, ‘oshar, oshar, oshur, rhalga, torcha, tourza, turdja, turja, turje, usher

in China:

bai hua niu jiao gua

in India:

aak, aakdo, aakra, aakro, adityapushpika, ag, ak, akada phool, akado, akan, akand, akanda, akaro, akaua, akauvya, akda cha jhada, akda nu jhada, akdo, akh, akha, akhra, akond, akondo, akra, alarka, alarkah, angot, ankado, ankda, ankota, arakh, arakha, arka, arka vrikshaha, arkah, arkaparna, arkavrikshaha, asphota, aush shar, aushar, bhanu, bili aekka, bili aekkada gida, bili yekkada gida, bimbora, dirghpushpa, dudla, erikku, erra jilledu, erukka, erukkam, erukku, ganarupaka, jilledu, jilledu-chettu, kashthila, kempu akkadagida, kempu ekka, kharak, khark, kkarak, ksiraparna, madar, manar, mandaaramu, mandara, mandaramu, mayo bin, mhatari, mir-hu-chau, mudar, nallajilledu, nano akdo, palati akwan, pashkand, path akhwan, pratapa, rajarka, rakta arka, raktarka, ravi, rui, rupika, sadapushpa, sadapushpi, safed ak, safedak, shakar al lighal, shambhu, sharkarapushpa, shitakarka, shuklaphala, shveta, shvetarka, sishakanda, spalmak, spalwakka, spulmei, tapana, tulaphala, uruko, ushar, vara, vara gaha, vasuka, vedha, vellai erukkan, vellai erukku, vellerku, vellerukku, vikirana, vrittamallika, yakkeda gida, yerra jilledu

in Laos:

dok hak, dok kap, kok may

Malayan names:

lembega, rembega

in Nepal:

aank

in Pakistan:

ak, arrigh, karak, kark

in Tibet:

a rga i rtsa ba, a rgai rtsa ba

in Vietnam:

bong-bong, b[oof]ng b[oof]ng, bong qui, l[as] nh[or]

in East Africa:

ararat, bohr, etethero, kihuta, mpamba mwitu, mpumbula, mufuthu, okwotpu; etetheru (Turkana), labechi (Samburu), muvuthu (Kamba)

in Gambia: bawane, faftan, kupampan

in Ghana:

a-gbo-loba, owula kofi ba, polipoli, unablapong, wolaporhu, wolapugo, wutsoe-wutsoe

in Guinea:

 mpompomogolo, nguyo

in Ivory Coast:

furo fogo, ganganpi, niapi djara, nopiada, togo fogo, tumo tigi

in Kenya:

 etesuro

in Mali:

 bamanbe, bandambi, bauane, bawane, komitigi, korunka, krunka, mpompomogolo, ngoyo, nguyo, nyeyi, pobu, pomponpogolo, tezera, tirza, tomitigi, toreha, torha, toucha, tourha, tourje, turdja, turia, tursha

in Mauritania:

achur, kerenka, korunka, taurja, tourje, turdja, turja, turje

in Niger:

bamanbe, bandambi, bauane, eshar, esshero, kayio, koruga, kulunhun, lifini, ochar, oshar, rhalga, tezera, tirza, toreha, torha, toucha, tourha, tourje, tumfafia, tursha, in Nigeria: babambi, bambambele, bambambi, bambami, bembambi, bomubomu, kayou, kupa, papawea, pwom pwomohi, tumfafiya, tumpaapahi, ushar

in Sahara:

 turge

in Senegal:

achur, babadi, bamabi, bamanbe, bamanbi-bauwami, bandambi, bauane, bawam bawam, bawoam, bodafor, bombardeira, bomborderu, borderu, bupumba pumb, faftan, fafton, kerenka, korunka, kupapa, mbadafot, mbontal, paftan, tulumpa, turdja, turje, ushar

in Sierra Leone:

puu-vande

in Sudan:

oshar

in Tanzania:

mpamba mwitu

in Togo:

inawokodu, kudjohe, tambutiji, tschofu, tshawou

in Upper Volta:

diawara, furo fogo, ganganpi, hurego, niapi djara, potu, putrempugu, putru pouga, puwo, tomfania, tomon’deke, tumo tigi

Pharmacological Activities:

• Poisonous; flowers, green seedpods and seeds should not be eaten.
• Stem and roots used for diarrhea and dysentery. Fresh flowers with jiggery are given as a remedy against rabid dog bites.
• Fresh foliage usually regarded as poisonous, and nectar from the flowers said to be poisonous too;
• for abortion, a stick introduced in vagina and kept for few minutes.
• Leaves and bark contain a caustic latex used as a blistering agent, can be violently irritant, immunological and allergenic responses against the latex, bullous eruption, intense inflammatory response of the skin and mucous membranes upon accidental exposure.
• Milky latex used in scorpion sting, cold and cough, fever and asthma, as a rubefacient, to extract Guinea worms, to remove spines and prickles, for preparation of antimalarial paste eaten like a sweet dish. Root insect repellent, an infusion a remedy for coughs and snakebite; touch/contact therapy, root tied with a red thread on the affected part to relieve filariasis.
• Roots decoction emetic and in the treatment of hookworm.
• Dried ground roots mixed with milk and drunk for the treatment of gonorrhea and venereal diseases.
• Root powder taken in menstrual disorders.
• In small doses, root bark, mild stimulant diaphoretic and expectorant, used in a soup to treat colic and as a stomachic.
• Burnt root made into an ointment for skin eruptions and ulcers.
• Leaves extract hepatoprotective, cardiotonic, anti-hyperglycemic, cytotoxic, antioxidant, antiinflammatory, larvicidal, nematicidal, fungicidal, pesticide, anthelmintic,
• expectorant, stomachic, diaphoretic, emetic.
• warmed or fresh leaves bandaged in rheumatic pain.
• Tuber of Gloriosa superba ground into paste applied as bandage with leaves of Calotropis procera for skin eruptions.
• Leaves extract of Ricinus communis, Calotropis procera and Ocimum sanctum taken to cure jaundice.
• Bark and leaves used for the treatment of leprosy and asthma.
• Veterinary medicine, for cough in camels drink infusion of roots; paste of leaves of Pergularia extensa  and Calotropis procera applied for muscular pains.
• warmed leaves applied on boils, swellings and swollen cheeks of cattle.
• Roots kept in nostrils for epistaxis;
• Flowers for ephemeral fevers.
• Milky juice applied over the cut tail of buffalo.