Linn.Family: Euphorbiaceae.
Habitat: Native to tropical America; introduced into India.
English: Sandbox tree, Monkey Dinner-bell.Siddha/Tamil: Mullarasanam.Action: Seed, bark and fresh latex— emetocathartic, antileprotic. Seed— insecticidal, piscidal.
In South America, a poultice made from the latex is used for treating cutaneous leishmaniasis. Highly irritant and tumour-promoting deterpene esters (DTC) have been detected in the latex. Latex gave the triterpenes, 24- methylene cycloartanol, cycloartanol and butyrospermol. Sap of the plant gave a diterpene hexaol ester, huratox- in, and a glycolipoprotein, crepitin.
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