SPURGES

Sientific and Common noun : Euphorbia helioscopia L. ( Sun spurge ) , Euphorbia charachias L. , Euphorbia Lathyris L. ( Caper spurge ) , Euphorbia paralias L. ( Sea spurge ), Euphorbia peplus L ( Petty spurge ) ., Euphorbia pinea L., Euphorbia hirsuta ( Hairy spurge ) , , Euphorbia falcata , Euphorbia pulcherrima L., Euphorbia milii L. Euphorbia dendroides etc

Family:Spurge family - Euphorbiaceae

Habitat: In waste lands, sunny fields , country roads, etc.

Active principles: Alkaloids: euphorbine, Citric and malic acid Dihidro-xicoumarin Diperten sters

Active parts: The whole plant, specially the latex.

Uses: - Medicinal: They have been used in home-made medicine to eliminate the callosities or the warts, applying the latex on the affected area. Later on, this use has been left and substituted by other safer plants and remedies as the one that consists on applying fig sap. The seeds and the powder of the roots have been used as laxatives or, in higher dose, as laxatives to treat constipation. The contact of the latex with the skin produces a very strong reddening in the skin (rubefacient) with strong appearance of bladders (vesicant), properties that were considered as advantageous to externally treat rheumatic pains of all type . Given the toxicity of their components, their use is dissuaded in home-made preparations

Toxicity: High. It affects mainly to the digestive apparatus, to the kidneys and the liver, producing considerable irritations in people that ingest the latex, being able to be deadly if the ingested quantity is high. Symptoms: Stomachache, nausea, vomits that can go together with blood, diarrheas, breathing difficulty and heart failure. In external use, the contact with the skin can produce dermatitis as a result of being in contact with the plant or because of prolonged exposition to the sun after having been in contact with the juice, so its latex should be avoided, specially to the eyes to avoid ocular irritations, even blindness. There have been some cases of animals intoxicated when eating grass that contained dry spurge . Recent investigations suggest that there are possible indications that animals that have been fed with forage containing plants of the gender " Euphorbia " can bear a risk of transmitting possible tumors to the humans that feed on them, because of diperten toxicity. Treatment : Vomitives , gastric lavage and emollients administration.