KJC Medicinal Garden

Our Collections | Medical Plants | Herbal Plants

Yekke Gida
Calotropis gigantea


Order: Genitiales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Calotropis
Species: C.gigantea
Common Names: Crown flower, Giant milkweed, Madar
Native to India, southern China, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, and tropical Africa

Other plants of the same genus with medicinal properties

    C. procera
Morphology:
  • A long shrub, grown in open clusters, contains milky latex.
  • Stem: Erect, branched cylindrical
  • Leaves: 4-8 inch long, obovate, amplexicaul.
  • Flowers: Large, white/purple, non-scented.

Uses in Tradition systems of medicine

  • In Ayurveda the root and stem of C. procera are used in Asthama.
  • The bark of the plant in liver and spleen diseases.
  • The milky juice of C. procera was used as an antitode in snake bite.
  • Used as a folk medicine in India.
Nutritional Properties
  • It is a poisonous plant.
  • The milky latex sap is a known cause of toxic keratoconjunctivitis and reversible vision loss.

Suggested Medicinal Properties

  • Cytotoxic activity
  • Anti-diarrhoeal activity
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Vomiting therapy
  • Wound- healing activity
  • Anti-arthritic
  • Anti- bacterial
  • Anti- cancer
  • Anti- asthmatic
  • Anti- oxidant
  • Anti- pyretic

Active Phytochemicals

1. 19-Nor- and 18,20-Epoxy-cardenolides
2. 15beta-hydroxycardenolides
3. Isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside
4. Isorhamnetin-3-O-Glucopyranoside
5. Calotropain-F1
6. Calotropain-FII
7. Coroglaucigenin
8. Frugoside
9. Stigmasterol
10. β-sitostero
11. Giganticine

References

Gaurav Kumar, Karthik Loganathan, Bhaskar Rao. "A review on pharmacological and phytochemical profile of Calotropis gigantea Linn." Pharmacologyonline, ResearchGate. URL- https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gaurav-Kumar-103/publication/211683578_A_review_on_pharmacological_and_phytochemical_profile_of_Calotropis_gigantea_Linn/links/0912f50b8adf5b08d3000000/A-review-on-pharmacological-and-phytochemical-profile-of-Calotropis-gigantea-Linn.pdf

Madhuri Kadiyalaa, Kannan Elango. "Calotropis gigantiea (L.) R. Br (Apocynaceae): A phytochemical and pharmacological review." Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 150, Issue 1, Science direct. Doi - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.08.045