Medicinal Uses of Adelfa
Application: - Herpes zoster (skin): Crush leaves, mix with oil and apply on lesions. Do not apply on raw surface. Milky juice of the plant is irritating. Caution: Not to be taken internally. - Herpes simplex: Mix 1 cup of chopped leaves and bark with 2 tablespoons of oil. Apply to lesions 3 times daily. - Ringworm: Chop a foot long branch and mix with 1 cup chopped fresh young leaves. Mix the juice with 5 drops of fresh coconut oil. Apply 3 times daily. - Snake bites: Pound 10 leaves and a piece of branch. Apply poultice to the wound. - Root, locally and internally, used for abortion. - Roots, made into paste with water, used for hemorrhoids. - Roots and bark used externally for eczema, snake bites and as insecticide. - Fresh leaves applied to tumors to hasten suppuration. The leaves and flowers are cardiotonic (tonic effect on the heart), diaphoretic (promotes perspiration), diuretic (promotes excretion), emetic (causes vomiting), expectorant (cough remedy), sternutatory (substance) as well as treatment of malaria, dysmenorrhea and abortifacient (induces the expulsion of embryo). Decoction of leaves has been applied externally in the treatment of scabies and to reduce swellings. The root can be ???? resolvent (power to disperse inflammatory). The root can also be beaten into paste and applied externally to chancres (syphilis), ulcers (open sore) on the penis and haemorrhoids (dilation of the blood vessels around the anus). The oil prepared from the root bark is used in the treatment of leprosy and skin diseases of scaly nature. The whole plant is believed to have anti-cancer properties. The punded leaves and bark are used as an insecticide, rat poison and parasiticide. The leaves contain small amounts of latex that can ba used to make rubber. The plant is also used as soil stabilizer. Constituents and properties Glycoside, oleadrin; tannin; volatile oil, 0.25%. Nerium oleander’s leaves contain two principles: neriin and oleandrin, glucosides with properties