It has become a ritual for me to check Punch newspaper’s Facebook page for readers’ comments on my articles every Sunday.
So, on the just concluded article on the dangers of deodorants and antiperspirants, one reader’s comment almost made me laugh my head off. She said, “You have started again.”
I understand that feeling. The reader felt that it is not true that antiperspirants and deodorants contain harmful substances.
Towards the end of last year, I had a series of verbal attacks on Facebook while I was exposing some unwholesome practices during food processing.
So, when I provided newspaper headlines and videos to back my claims up, my accusers could not say anything again.
I am aware that there are consequences for spreading false information. Nothing is exaggerated here.
Before I talked about the laxative activity of a particular plant that helped someone who is close to me achieve bowel movement a couple of weeks ago, I had already shared the story on Facebook and posted a picture of the plant.
I noticed that the comment section was on fire. People came out to share their experiences about the plant. They corroborated my story by sharing their experiences about the plant’s laxative activity.
They gave the names it is called in cultures apart from Yoruba. People swore by the plant’s anti-malaria and anti-typhoid activities. They said a lot more.
However, in the comments, some people shared not-too-palatable stories about its hyper-laxative effect. I guess they must have gone overboard with its use.
Since then, I have been getting text messages about this plant.
So, this week, due to popular demand, of all the Euphorbia species, I will be discussing Euphorbia heterophylla, known as ewe tebaje in Yoruba.
Euphorbia heterophylla is an annual weed species from the Euphorbiaceae family. It is widely used in traditional African medicine and elsewhere in tropical countries.
It is called tebaje because the leaves are boiled and the water is used for making eba. It was after eating the eba made with water from boiling the plant that the person whose story I shared had his first bowel movement after a long time.
It is considered a noxious and problematic weed in Nigeria, affecting cultivated fields, especially soybeans and cowpeas, by competing for resources and reducing crop yields. It is a cosmopolitan weed in West Africa, thriving in disturbed areas and agricultural lands, and poses a challenge for farmers.
This reminds one of the time I equated nature to a nosey neighbour. The only difference is that each time nature invades our space, it comes with good intentions. Most of the plants we call weeds are usually highly medicinal.
In Africa, a decoction or infusion of the stems and fresh or dried leaves is taken as a purgative and laxative to treat stomach-ache and constipation, and to expel intestinal worms.
A leaf infusion is used as a wash to treat skin problems, including fungal diseases and abscesses.
In Nigeria, the latex and preparations of the leaves and roots are applied to treat skin tumours. In East Africa, the roots are used in the treatment of gonorrhoea or to increase milk production in breastfeeding women.
The latex is irritant to the skin and eyes and may be employed as a rubefacient and to remove warts. However, the latex is also used as an antidote against the irritation caused by the latex of other Euphorbia species.
In peninsular Malaysia, a leaf extract is taken to treat body pain. The latex is used in the preparation of arrow poison and fish poison.
In Benin, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable or famine food, despite their laxative action. The plant is grazed by livestock and can be fed to guinea pigs as an addition to fresh forage. Honey bees collect nectar from the flowers.
The butanol extract of the dried leaves exhibited marked inhibitory action on the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis at 100 mg/ml.
A methanol extract of the aerial parts showed moderate antiplasmodial activity.
A leaf extract showed significant nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne graminicola.
An extract of the aerial parts given orally to goats showed moderate activity against several intestinal nematodes, such as Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Bunostomum and Oesophagostomum.
Extracts from the fresh shoots produced inhibitory effects on the early seed germination of tomato, pepper and cowpea.
A leaf infusion is used as a wash to treat skin problems, including fungal diseases and abscesses.
Euphorbia heterophylla shows promising anti-asthmatic potential. It also shows promising anti-tumour potential in preliminary studies, with extracts demonstrating cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
The roots are cathartic, emetic and galactagogue. They are used in small doses in the treatment of gonorrhoea and to increase milk production in breastfeeding women.
Read the full article here
