|
Common Name/s: |
Other Name/s: |
Botanical name/s: |
| Cocculus, Cocculus Indicus |
Levant nut, Fish berries, Levant berries |
Anamirta cocculus, Anamirta paniculata |
General description and domicile:
Native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia and many of the surrounding countries. The
plant is a handsome creeper with heart shaped leaves dark on top paler below
with papery ash bark. Plants bear either male or female flowers (never both)
although there are no other distinguishing features that leads to believe that
plants are male and female.
The berries and seeds are very poisonous, containing picrotoxin,
a nervous system stimulant.
Warning:
The berries and seeds should not be handles without proper care as they are
the most poisonous part of the plant.
Part used and extraction:
Berries and seed, dried or fresh
Remedy preparation:
This plant has not been used medicinally for some time because the risk of
overdosing is just too great. At some time it was used as an antidote against
Morphine and other barbiturate poisoning but even then the realization that the
margin between a therapeutic dose and a fatal dose was too small for comfort has
ended this practice.
Used for treatment of:
It really has no medical application that is safe. Picrotoxin has been
investigated to see if it has a place in medicine but to date it looks as if it
will only survive as a pesticide.
There are many other herbs that can do the job as well as
Cocculus without the risk. Why even try?
Properties:
Stimulant
Parasiticide
Antifungal
Constituents:
Picrotoxin: several oxygenated
sequiterpenes (Picroti, Picrotoxinin and more). Picrotoxin is a convulsive
poison that acts as a stimulant on the nervous system.
* Statements made
have not been evaluated by American Food and Drug Authority or similar board
or authority of any other country.
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