Kalli pal : I think the milky juice from this plant was earlier used
to kill new born female infants in some parts of Southern India.
Clarification needed.
On Mar 10, 6:33 am, Padmini Raghavan <[email protected]> wrote:
> I found this excerpt from the net quite alarming.
>
> *Euphorbia tirucalli* (also known as *Firestick Plants*, *Indian Tree Spurge
> *, *Naked Lady*, *Pencil Tree*, *Sticks on Fire* or *Milk Bush*)(Sanskrit:
> सप्तला saptala, सातला satala,Marathi : sher-kandvel शेर-कांडवेल) is a
> shrub<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Shrub>that grows in
> semi-arid <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Semi-arid>
> tropical<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Tropical>
> climates <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Climate>.
>
> It has a wide distribution in Africa, being prominently present in
> northeastern, central and southern Africa. It may also be native in other
> parts of the continent as well as some surrounding islands and the Arabian
> peninsula and has been introduced to many other tropical regions. Its status
> in India is uncertain. It grows in dry areas, and is often used to feed
> cattle or as
> hedging.[1]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.h...>It
> is well known in Sri Lanka where it is called
> Sinhala <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Sinhala_language>: නවහන්දි Navahandi[3
> ]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.h...>in
> Sinhalese <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Sinhala_language>.
>
> Milk bush is a hydrocarbon
> plant<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Hydrocarbon_plant>that produces a
> poisonous
> latex <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Latex> which can, with little effort, be
> converted to the equivalent of
> gasoline<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Gasoline>.
> This led chemist <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Chemist> Melvin
> Calvin<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Melvin_Calvin>to propose the
> exploitation of milk bush for producing oil. This usage is
> particularly appealing because of the ability of milk bush to grow on land
> that is not suitable for most other crops. Calvin estimated that 10 to 50
> barrels of oil <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Oil> per acre was achievable.
> It has also been used in the production of rubber, but this was not very
> successful.[1]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.h...>
>
> Milk bush also has uses in traditional
> medicine<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Complementary_and_alternative_medicine>in
> many cultures. It has been used to treat cancers, excrescences,
> tumors,
> and warts in such diverse places as
> Brazil<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Brazil>,
> India <https://mail.google.com/wiki/India>,
> Indonesia<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Indonesia>,
> Malabar <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Malabar> and
> Malaysia<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Malaysia>.
> It has also been used as an application for
> asthma<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Asthma>,
> cough, earache, neuralgia <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Neuralgia>,
> rheumatism <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Rheumatism>, toothache, and warts
> in
> India.[4]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.h...>There
> is some interest in milk bush as a
> cancer <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Cancer> treatment. However Euphorbia
> Tirucalli has been associated with Burkitt's
> lymphoma<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Burkitt%27s_lymphoma>and thought
> to be a
> cofactor <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Cofactor_(biochemistry)> of the
> disease rather than a treatment
> [5]<https://mail.google.com/mail/html/compose/static_files/blank_quirks.h...>
>
> In the 1980s the Brazilian national
> petroleum<https://mail.google.com/wiki/Petroleum>company
> Petrobras <https://mail.google.com/wiki/Petrobras> began experiments based
> on the ideas that Calvin put forth.
> [edit<https://mail.google.com/w/index.php?title=Euphorbia_tirucalli&action=...>
> ] First aid
>
> The milky sap contained in this plant is corrosive and extremely toxic.
> Contact with skin causes severe burning; contact with the eyes may cause
> severe pain, and may cause temporary blindness for up to 7 days. For eye
> exposures, flush eyes with water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical
> attention. Over-the-counter antihistamines may provide relief for sensitive
> patients. Symptoms may worsen over 12 hours. If swallowed, may cause burning
> to mouth, lips, and tongue. Deaths have been recorded from swallowing the
> sap and, if swallowed, one should seek medical attention. If one still shows
> symptoms of rash after 10 days or more, it can be assumed that the rash will
> enduring the remainder of the infected person's life. Similar to the common
> STD herpes.
>
> Regards,
>
> Padmini Raghavan.
