Euphorbia peplus
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Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge,[1][2] radium weed,[2] cancer weed,[2] or milkweed),[2] is a species of Euphorbia, native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens and other disturbed land.[1][3][4]
Outside of its native range it is very widely naturalised and often invasive, including in Australia, New Zealand, North America and other countries in temperate and sub-tropical regions.[1]
Description
It is an annual plant growing to Script error: No such module "convert". tall (most plants growing as weeds of cultivation tend towards the smaller end), with smooth hairless stems. The leaves are stalked, oval-acute, Script error: No such module "convert". long, with untoothed margin. It has green flowers in three-rayed umbels. The glands typically of Euphorbia are kidney-shaped, and have long thin horns.[4]
var. minima has stems low, ascending, branchy, leaves roundish, seeds smaller 1-1.4 mm (vs. 1.3-1.6 mm of var. peplus),[5] predominantly countries on the north edge of the Mediterranean (PoWo Map)
Medicinal uses
The plant's sap is toxic to rapidly replicating human tissue, and has long been used as a traditional remedy for common skin lesions.[6] The active ingredient in the sap is a diterpene ester called ingenol mebutate.
A pharmaceutical-grade ingenol mebutate gel has approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of actinic keratosis.[6][7][8]
In Germany, recent studies have linked Euphorbia peplus with the virtual elimination of squamous cell skin cancer.[9]
References
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- ↑ a b c Template:GRIN
- ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Flora Europaea: Euphorbia peplus
- ↑ a b Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Template:ISBN
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Lebwohl, M, et al. "Ingenol Mebutate Gel for Actinic Keratosis." N Engl J Med 366;11, March 15, 2012.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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