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12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1

Plumbago zeylanica L.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Plumbago in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Sp. pl. 1: 151 (1753).

Ceylon leadwort, white-flowered leadwort (En). Indonesia: daun encok (general), bama (Javanese, Balinese)), ki encok (Sundanese). Malaysia: jarak, cheraka. Philippines: bangbang (Ilokano), sangdikit (Tagalog), talankan (Ilokano). Laos: pit pi' khao. Thailand: chettamun phloeng khaao (central), pit piu khaao (northern). Vietnam: du[oo]i c[oo]ng tr[aws]ng, b[aj]ch hoa x[af], du[oo]i c[oo]ng hoa tr[aws]ng.

Tropical Africa, tropical Asia and the Pacific region. Common throughout South-East Asia, although not reported for Borneo and the Moluccas.

In Indonesia, crushed leaves are applied as a poultice to treat rheumatism and headache (never longer than a few minutes behind the ears). The crushed leaves may also be used as a substitute for cantharides ('Spanish fly'); though more painful they have the advantage of not irritating the uro-genital organs. In Bali, Plumbago zeylanica is used to treat ringworm. Roots of Plumbago zeylanica are also used internally, for their vesicant properties, as an abortifacient. In Malaysia, a decoction of the plant is reported to be taken during the first three days after childbirth, probably for its tonic properties. Furthermore, chewing the leaves or a decoction is used as an emmenagogue, but may well act as an abortifacient in early pregnancy. In the Philippines, an infusion of the roots is used against itch. The pounded roots are applied externally as a vesicant, and root decoctions are used to treat scabies, whereas the roots are also said to be ecbolic. In Indo-China, the roots and leaves are considered rubefacient and vesicant, and they are used as a poultice against rheumatism. Leaf and root infusions are applied as a wash to treat itch and skin diseases. In Java, Plumbago zeylanica is planted in living fences.

A creeping herb or scandent shrub up to 2.5 m tall, laxly branched; leaves ovate, ovate-lanceolate, elliptical or oblong, 2.5-13 cm x 1-6 cm, base cuneate, apex acute or mucronate, glabrous, often with white waxy dots below, petiole 2-12 mm long, base amplexicaul, sometimes auriculate; inflorescence a 6-30 cm long raceme, rachis with sessile glands; flowers with a green glabrous calyx, covered in stalked glands, corolla tube 1.7-2.6 cm long, lobes 0.6-1 cm x 0.3-0.5 cm, white, scented, anthers purple, ovary and style glabrous. Seed 6 mm x 2 mm, dark brown. In general prefering a dry season climate, Plumbago zeylanica is almost exclusively found in rather open anthropogenic habitats, e.g. savanna, forest edges and fallow fields, up to 1000 m altitude.

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Wongsatit Chuakul, Noppamas Soonthornchareonnon & Promjit Saralamp

Chuakul, W., Soonthornchareonnon, N. & Saralamp, P., 1999. Plumbago zeylanica L.. In: de Padua, L.S., Bunyapraphatsara, N. and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea