Purging Croton

Scientific name of Purging Croton: Croton tiglium

Name of Purging Croton in different languages:-

Sanskrit: Neervalam, Kumbini

Malayalam: Nanchu നഞ്ച്, Valam വാളം Neervalam നീർവാളം

Hindi: jamagota

Useful plant parts: Seed, leaf, root

Plant description:-

Croton tiglium (Croton tiglium) is an evergreen tree, found in tropical areas, and western ghats areas, grows to the height up to 6 meters height, is monoecious, and its leaves are dark green, has a waxy look, is 5cm to 10 cm long, and 3cm to 5 cm broad, leaf margin toothed. The flowers are small, brownish-yellow, 5-petaled, and clustered, Seeds are black,1 cm long, hard-shelled, contained in the fruit, length up to 3 cm., and yellow when ripe.

Leaf Arrangement

Medicinal uses:

Oil is used as a purgative medicine, for diarrhea, summer complaints, and skin problems.

1. Laxative: Purging Croton seeds contain a powerful laxative compound called croton oil. In controlled and highly diluted forms, it has been traditionally used for constipation.
2. Anthelmintic: Due to its strong purgative properties, it has been used in traditional medicine to expel intestinal worms.
3. Skin Conditions: In some traditional systems of medicine, highly diluted croton oil has been used topically for skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and ringworm. However, this use is highly specialized and should be strictly supervised by a trained practitioner.
4. Rheumatic Disorders: In certain traditional practices, croton oil has been used in very small quantities for treating joint pain associated with rheumatic conditions.
5. Abortifacient (Caution Required): Croton oil has been historically used to induce abortions. However, this is an extremely dangerous practice and is strongly discouraged due to the high toxicity of the plant.

It’s crucial to emphasize that Purging Croton or any part of this plant without expert knowledge and strict dosage control can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. It’s never recommended for self-medication.

The chemical contents:

Glyceryl crotonate, crotonic acid, crotonic resin, phorbol esters, and crotonic acid.

Medicinal Properties: 

Severe purgative

It is  one of the ingredients in the Ayurveda medicines like-

• Anthrakutharam Gulika
• Clearout Tablets
• Krimisodhini Vati
• Virechana Gulika  

View more:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264303/