Health and Wellness
Pinki Biswas, BS News Agency: Sodom Apple (Calotropis procera) is a medicinal shrub used in traditional medicine for treating skin infections, reducing pain (rheumatism, toothache), managing asthma, and soothing digestive issues like diarrhea. Its roots, leaves, and latex are commonly utilized, though the plant is highly toxic and must be used with caution.
Key benefits of Sodom Apple include:
Medicinal Uses: The plant has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-diabetic properties.
Skin Care: Latex from the plant is used to treat skin conditions like scabies, eczema, sores, and warts.
Pain and Inflammation Management: Heated leaves are used to relieve severe abdominal pain, joint pain, and swellings.
Respiratory and Digestive Relief: It is used in traditional medicine for treating cough, asthma, diarrhea, and stomach aches.
Dental Health: The stems are used as chewing sticks (toothbrushes) for their antibacterial properties in treating toothaches.
Agricultural Use: The fruit extracts have nematicidal properties, helping to manage parasites in crops.
Important Safety Note: All parts of the plant are poisonous, particularly the latex, which contains toxic cardiac glycosides. It is not meant for direct, uncontrolled consumption.