Croton persimilis Muell . Arg. (= C. oblongifolius Roxb.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 66-67

Croton persimilis Muell. Arg. (= C. oblongifolius Roxb.)

Names.

Myanmar: thetyin-gyi, casauboh (Mon), ha-yung, mai-sat-lang (Shan), umawng (Kachin). English: croton.

Range.

Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, southern China, and Indo-China. In Myanmar, found growing naturally throughout the country.

Uses.

Hot and bitter in taste, used to control flatulence, regulate bowels, and cure diarrhea, clotting of blood, dysentery and boils. The plant, either taken orally or as an external application, is also considered very useful for inflammation. Bark: Used to treat edemas with attendant fever. Made into paste to treat snakebites. Also used to treat enlarged liver, hepatitis, hepatomegaly, pyexia, and considered excellent antidote for snakebite. Bark, Seed, and Root: Used as a purgative, for liver disease, and high blood pressure. Leaf: Hot fomentations made and applied to relieve inflammation; crushed and applied as a poultice over old and rotting sores with pus; also used for scabies. Boiling the tender leaves and eating them with a dip used to regulate gas and bowels, and to treat stomachache associated with dysentery and stomachaches in general. Fruit and Seed: Both used as a purgative. Seed: Used for diarrhea and edema. Root: Used in making medicines for flatulence and disorders of phlegm. Can be soaked together with jaggery, and the liquid taken daily to regulate gas and bowels. It can also be used to cure alcoholism and protect against disease. Root and bark taken internally or used externally as a rub for inflammation or enlargement of the liver as well as for inflammation, edema, and pain in the joints. A paste made of the root and lime juice is taken for male related disorders and hemorrhoids. The root bark is employed for pneumonitis, hepatitis, hepatomegaly, and arthritis.

Notes.

Perry (1980) discusses the uses of the species in Indo-China. She also notes that C. robustus has medicinal uses in Myanmar, but does not specify what they are.

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980), Perry (1980).