Euphorbia helioscopia, the sun spurge or madwoman's milk,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is a herbaceous annual plant, native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and eastward through most of Asia.[2][3][4]
Additional folk names include wart spurge, summer spurge, umbrella milkweed, and wolf's-milk. [5][6]
Description
Euphorbia helioscopia is an annual plant growing in arable land and disturbed ground. It grows to 10–50 cm tall, with a single, erect, hairless stem, branching toward the top. The leaves are oval, broadest near the tip, 1.5–3 cm long, with a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, yellow-green, with two to five basal bracts similar to the leaves but yellower. Flowering lasts from mid-spring to late summer.[4][5]
Similar species include Euphorbia rhabdotosperma, having the appearance of E. helioscopia with smaller parts and differing seed surface [7] (Iran, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkmenistan).
Uses
Active ingredients extracted from Euphorbia helioscopia are used in pharmaceutical industry.[citation needed] The plant is used in Chinese traditional medicine.[8]
Euphorbia helioscopia contains toxic diterpenes[10] and diterpenoids[11] and phorbol esters. These substances are the major skin irritants found in the plant.[12] The plant is considered poisonous when eaten raw. Nausea, allergic reactions, skin irritation, vomiting may occur after eating. [13]
^Park Kwan Ha; Koh Dongsoo; Lee Seungho; Jung Illmin; Kyung Hyun Kim; Lee Chul-Hoon; Kim Kye-Hoon; Lim Yoongho (2001). "Anti-allergic and anti-asthmatic activity of helioscopinin-A, a polyphenol compound, isolated from Euphorbia helioscopia". Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 11 (1): 138–142. INIST995613.
