Jatropha curcas

Scientific name: Jatropha curcas L.

Botanical family: EUPHORBIACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Haiti:

medsiyen

Dominican Republic:

piñón, piñón botija

Other vernacular names

Panama:

coquillo

French Guiana:

Médecinier blanc
Meksin seine

Haiti:

Medsinyen
Medsinyen/piñon
Metsiyen
Metsiyen (ou metsiyen beni)
Metsiyen beni

Dominican Republic:

Piñón

Puerto Rico:

Tártago

Geographical distribution

Originally from tropical America, it has become naturalised in other tropical regions.

Botanical description

Shrub or small tree of up to 5 m, with milky yellow or reddish latex. Rounded-ovate leaves, 3-5 lobate, cordate at the base, sharp or acuminate at the apex. Small, dense, long-pedunculate cymes; whitish, oblong-ovate, densely pilose petals. Ellipsoid capsule, 2.5 to 4 cm; 2 cm seeds, blackish.

Voucher(s)

Rouzier,69,SOE

Pimentel,1120, JBSD

Girón,237,CFEH

Ochoa,250,HPMHV

Veloz,3039,JBSD

sores (oral candidiasis)

sap (latex), applied locally^1-2

For oral candidiasis, sores or burns:

break the petiole (the corner that joins the base of the leaf) of the stem and allow the latex to come out. Apply 2-4 drops of the latex directly on to the affected area 2-4 times a day.

For itching:

prepare a decoction with 30 grams of fresh leaves with or without stems in 4 cups (1 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in a covered vessel. Bathe 2 or 3 times a day.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

External use for oral candidiasis, sores, burns and itching is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity study and the scientific information published.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the candidiasis, sore, burn or itching persists for more than 5 days or 3 days in children, seek medical attention.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the sore, burn or itching persists for more than 5 days, seek medical attention.

Traditional use should be limited to superficial burns (epidermal damage) that are minor (less than 10% of the body surface) and located outside high-risk areas such as the face, hands, feet and genitals.

Do not ingest the seed or any other part of the plant due to the risk of toxicity. In the event of poisoning by ingestion, seek medical assistance. Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 10 years.

TRAMIL Work¹⁹

The sap (latex, 100%) applied (4, 6, 10 ml/kg) for 24 hours on depilated rabbit skin (Draize method) and observed for 14 days, produced little skin toxicity with doses of 4 and 6 ml/kg; with 10 ml/kg it was slightly irritant.

On penile and oral rabbit mucosa (0.2 ml, Draize method) it produced slight irritation.

TRAMIL Work²⁰

The aqueous extract (50% decoction) from fresh leaves (0.6 ml/6 cm² of healthy skin), topical application in New Zealand albino rabbits, 3 males (1.9 kg), Acute Dermal Irritation OECD 404 model, 3 sites were used and were separated in retention boxes, after 4 hours, the patch was removed, readings for erythema and oedema were taken at 1, 24, 48 and 72 hours, no clinical signs were shown, and therefore it was classified in the Ingestion of the entire plant has been reported to be toxic to humans²¹.

There is no information available documenting the safety of use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

TRAMIL Work⁶

Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the leaves:

The latex contains proteins: curcacycline⁷ and curcain (proteolytic enzyme)⁸.

The leaves contain cyanogenic glucosides; tannins; terpenes: α-amyrin, β-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol; flavonoids: vitexin, isovitexin^9-11.

The leaves and bark contain steroidal sapogenins¹².

TRAMIL Work¹³

The pure latex and the dilution in ethanol (1:10) in vitro showed weak activity against Candida albicans and significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

TRAMIL Work^14-15

The latex and aqueous extract from fresh leaves (1000 µg/ml) in vitro showed no activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli or Candida albicans.

TRAMIL Work¹⁶

The freeze-dried aqueous extract (decoction) from fresh leaves (10 mg/ear) single dose, applied topically in 10 female Swiss mice (17.15 ± 0.64 g), croton oil-induced ear oedema model, did not cause any anti-inflammatory effects.

The latex inhibited the in vitro growth of Staphylococcus aureus¹⁷.

In a clinical study with 30 patients, latex was applied for the treatment of the plantar wart, compared with liquid nitrogen as a control. In the experimental group, an improvement was obtained in 11-20 days of application, although it was faster with nitrogen; local desquamation, colour changes and itching were reported as non-limiting side effects⁸.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986

Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d’Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.

WENIGER B, 1987-88

Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

LAGOS-WITTE S, 1988-89, 1996

Encuesta TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Histología Vegetal y Etnobotánica, Dep. de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

GIRON L, 1988

Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica). Centro Mesoamericano de Tecnología CEMAT, Guatemala, Guatemala.

CASTILLO D, RODRIGUEZ S, DE LOS SANTOS C, BELEN A, 2003

Encuesta TRAMIL, Zambrana, Cotui. Dep. de Botánica, Jardín Botánico Nacional, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

WENIGER B, SAVARY H, DAGUIHL R, 1984

Tri phytochimique de plantes de la liste TRAMIL. Laboratoire de chimie des substances naturelles, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université d’Etat d’Haïti, Port au Prince, Haïti. TRAMIL I, Port au Prince, Haïti, Fac. de Médecine/enda-caribe.

VAN DEN BERG A, HOARSTEN S, KETTENES-VAN-DEN BOSCH J, KROES B, BEUKELMAN C, LEEFLANG B, LABADIE R, 1995

Curcacycline A - a novel cyclic octapeptide isolated from the latex of Jatropha curcas L. Febs Lett 358(3):215-218.

NATH LK, DUTTA SK, 1991

Extraction and purification of curcain, a protease from the latex of Jatropha curcas Linn. J Pharm Pharmacol 43(2):111-114.

HEGNAUER R, 1973

Chemotaxonomy der Pflanzen. Basel & Stuttgart: Birkhauser Verlag. 6:882.

SUBRAMANIAN SS, NAGARAJAN S, SULOCHANA N, 1971

Flavonoids from some Euphorbiaceous plants. Phytochemistry 10:2548-2549.

HUFFORD CD, OGUNTIMEIN BO, 1978

Non-polar constituents of Jatropha curcas. Lloydia 41:161-165.

HUSSAIN H, DEENI Y, 1991

Plants in Kano ethomedicine; screening for antimicrobial activity and alkaloids. Int J Pharmacog 29(1):51-56.

LE GRAND A, WONDERGEM PA, 1986

Activités antimicrobiennes et études bibliographiques de la toxicologie de dix plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe. Rapport TRAMIL. Dép. de Pharmacognosie, Universités de Groningen & Leyden, Hollande. TRAMIL II, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana, UASD/enda- caribe.

SOLIS PN, RODRIGUEZ N, ESPINOSA A, GUPTA MP, 2004

Estudio antimicrobiano de algunas plantas TRAMIL con usos en Martinica. Informe TRAMIL. Centro de Investigaciones Farmacognósticas de la Flora Panameña CIFLORPAN, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá.

OLMEDO D, RODRIGUEZ N, ESPINOSA A, VASQUEZ Y, GUPTA MP, 2005

Ensayo antimicrobiano de algunas especies con usos significativos TRAMIL-Centroamérica. Informe TRAMIL. Centro de Investigaciones Farmacognósticas de la Flora Panameña CIFLORPAN, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá.

GARCIA -GONZALEZ M, FERNANDEZ A. ARGUEDAS R, MONTERO S, 2005

Efecto antiinflamatorio en ratones, en aplicación tópica, del extracto acuoso (decocción) de las hojas frescas de Jatropha curcas dosis única. Informe TRAMIL. PRONAPLAMED. Depto de Fisiología, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

THOMASO O, 1989

Re-examination of the antimicrobial activities of Xylopia aethiopica, Carica papaya, Ocimun gratissimum and Jatropha curcas. Fitoterapia 60(2):147-155.

MARROQUIN E, BLANCO JA, GRANADO S, CACERES A, MORALES C, 1997

Clinical Trial of Jatropha curcas sap in the treatment of common warts. Fitoterapia 68(2):160-162.

HERRERA J, 1990

Determinación de actividades biológicas de vegetales utilizados en medicina tradicional. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de fitofarmacología, Dep. de Farmacología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

LOPEZ M, MOREJON Z, BACALLAO Y, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2009

Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de hoja fresca de Jatropha curcas L. Informe TRAMIL. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, C. Habana, Cuba.

WEE Y, GOPALAKRISHNAKONE P, CHAN A, 1988

Poisonous plants in Singapore - a colour chart for identification with symptoms and signs of poisoning. Toxicon 26(1):47.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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Jatropha curcas

Vernacular names

Haiti:

Dominican Republic:

Panama:

French Guiana:

Haiti:

Dominican Republic:

Puerto Rico:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

Disclaimer