Euphorbia peplus

Description

It is an annual plant growing to 5–30 cm tall (most plants growing as weeds of cultivation tend towards the smaller end), with smooth hairless stems. The leaves are stalked, oval-acute, 1–3 cm 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.

var. minima has stems low, ascending, branchy, leaves roundish, seeds smaller 1-1.4 mm (vs. 1.3-1.6 mm of var. peplus), 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. 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.

In Germany, recent studies have linked Euphorbia peplus with the virtual elimination of squamous cell skin cancer.

Other uses

Euphorbia peplus was formerly eaten as famine food in Poland, the whole plant, including the root, being prepared by boiling in milk.

References

References

1. Hazel Dempster. "''Euphorbia terracina'' Workshop Proceedings 2000".
2. '''cancer weed''', or '''milkweed'''), is a species of ''[[Euphorbia]]'', native to most of [[Europe]], northern [[Africa]] and western [[Asia]], where it typically grows in cultivated [[arable land]], [[garden]]s and other disturbed land.{{GRIN | access-date = 2 January 2018}}
3. ''Flora Europaea'': [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Euphorbia+&SPECIES_XREF=peplus&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= ''Euphorbia peplus'']
4. Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. {{ISBN. 0-340-40170-2
5. Davis. "Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, vol. 7".
6. (2009). "PEP005 (ingenol mebutate) gel, a novel agent for the treatment of actinic keratosis: results of a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, multicentre, phase IIa study". Australasian Journal of Dermatology.
7. Lebwohl, M, et al. "Ingenol Mebutate Gel for Actinic Keratosis." ''N Engl J Med 366'';11, March 15, 2012.
8. (January 25, 2012). "FDA Approves Picato® (ingenol mebutate) Gel, the First and Only Topical Actinic Keratosis (AK) Therapy With 2 or 3 Consecutive Days of Once-Daily Dosing". Yahoo! Finance.
9. (October 2014). "Erfolgreiche Behandlung eines Morbus Bowen mit Ingenolmebutat". Der Hautarzt.
10. Dekowski J, P. (1968). "Z badań nad pożywieniem ludu łowickiego:(1880-1939)". Państwowe Wydaw. Naukowe..