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Poisonbulb

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Crinum asiaticum

Family: Amaryllidaceae Genus: Crinum Species: asiaticum

Synonyms: Crinum brevifolium, Bulbine asiatica, Crinum toxicarium var. asiaticum

Poisonbulb
Poisonbulb

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
anti-inflammatory

Traditional Uses

Crinum asiaticum is an important medicinal plant in Ayurveda (where it is known as nagadamani) and in Chinese and Southeast-Asian folk medicine. The leaves are warmed and applied externally for bruises, sprains, strains, joint pain, rheumatism and fractures, while the bulb is used as an emetic and applied to boils, contusions and swellings; other recorded ethnomedicinal uses include treatment of earache, fever, snakebite, skin diseases and urinary complaints (Ayurvedic and Asian ethnomedicine reviews; ScienceDirect 2020). CAUTION: the plant is highly toxic, containing lycorine and related alkaloids that cause nausea, vomiting, salivation and diarrhoea, and it should not be taken internally except under expert traditional supervision.

Botanical Description

Crinum asiaticum, the poison bulb, giant crinum or spider lily, is a large bulbous herb in the Amaryllidaceae, native to tropical and subtropical Asia and the Indo-Pacific and widely cultivated in warm regions. It grows from a massive, columnar bulb up to 10 cm or more across, which extends into a thick, fleshy pseudostem. The numerous strap-shaped, sword-like leaves are arranged in a spreading rosette and may reach a metre or more in length. Stout, leafless scapes bear umbels of large, fragrant white flowers, each with a long slender perianth tube opening to six narrow, recurved tepals and prominent stamens with reddish anthers. The fruit is a fleshy capsule containing large bulbous seeds. It thrives in coastal sands, riverbanks and moist tropical ground. All parts are highly toxic, containing lycorine-type phenanthridine alkaloids.

Native Region: Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, China Southeast, Christmas I., Cocos (Keeling) Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., India, Japan, Jawa, Korea, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Nicobar Is., Norfolk Is., Northern Territory, Ogasawara-shoto, Philippines, Queensland, Rodrigues, Réunion, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Vanuatu, Vietnam

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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