- Podophyllum hexandrum
Taxobox
name = "Podophyllum hexandrum"
regnum =Plant ae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Ranunculales
familia =Berberidaceae
genus = "Podophyllum "
species = "P. hexandrum"
binomial = "Podophyllum hexandrum"
binomial_authority = RoyleThe perennial herb "Podophyllum hexandrum" (syn. "P. emodi"), bearing the common names Himalayan mayapple or Indian may apple, is native to the lower elevations in and surrounding the
Himalaya . It is low to the ground with glossy green, drooping, lobed leaves on its few stiff branches, and it bears a pale pink flower and bright red-orange bulbous fruit. The ornamental appearance of the plant make it a desirable addition towoodland -type gardens. It can be propagated by seed or by dividing therhizome . It is very tolerant of cold temperatures, as would be expected of a Himalayan plant, but it is not tolerant of dry conditions.The plant is poisonous but when processed has medicinal properties. The rhizome of the plant contains a resin, known generally and commercially as Indian Podophyllum Resin, which can be processed to extract podophyllotoxin, or
podophyllin , aneurotoxin . It has been historically used as an intestinal purgative and emetic, salve for infected and necrotic wounds, and inhibitor oftumor growth. The North American variant of this Asian plant contains a lower concentration of the toxin but has been more extensively studied.
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