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Common Name: Caper Spurge

General Information

Euphorbia lathyris is a Annual/Biennial up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The sap contains a latex which is toxic on ingestion and highly irritant externally, causing photosensitive skin reactions and severe inflammation, especially on contact with eyes or open cuts. The toxicity can remain high even in dried plant material[]. Prolonged and regular contact with the sap is inadvisable because of its carcinogenic nature[]. The seed is also poisonous[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe. Possibly native to Britain but more common as a garden escape.

Habitat

Woods, avoiding acid soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual/Biennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Flies
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a light well-drained soil in an open position[]. Prefers a dry soil but grows almost anywhere[].
Often self-sows freely[, ].
Formerly cultivated for its fruit[] - for the oil contained in the fruit according to another report[]. The plant is still occasionally cultivated for its seed is southeastern Europe[].
The plant is strongly tap-rooting[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].
This genus has been singled out as a potential source of latex (for making rubber) for the temperate zone, though no individual species has been singled out[].

Edible Uses

The seed has been used as a substitute for capers. It is very acrid and requires long steeping in salt and water, and afterwards in vinegar[]. Great caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal

Caper spurge was used in the past as a violent purgative, whilst the rubefacient action of the leaves was employed by beggars to raise unsightly sores on their skins to elicit pity and thereby obtain more money[]. All parts of the plant are emetic and purgative[, , ] and the plant is nowadays considered to be far too toxic for it to be used medicinally[].
The latex in the stems has been used externally as a depilatory and to remove corns, but it is too irritant to be used safely[, ].
The seed is diuretic, parasiticide and purgative[, ]. It has been used in the treatment of dropsy, oedema, tumours, amenorrhoea, schistosomiasis, scabies and snake bites[, ]. The fresh seed has an antitumor action, effective against acute lymphocytic and granulocytic leukaemia[].
The plant has anticancer activity[]. It is also antiseptic, cathartic, emetic and purgative[].
Use the plant with caution[, , ]. One seed capsule is said to cause catharsis, several to cause an abortion[].

Other Uses

A fine clear oil is obtained from the seed[, ]. Yields of 42% have been obtained[]. Up to 85% of the oil is oleic acid[]. The fatty acid make up of the oil is very similar to olive oil, but it also contains acrimonious principles[]. The oil rapidly goes rancid and acquires a dangerous acrimony[]. It is a violent poison, producing violent purging and irritation to the intestines[]. It can be used medicinally when fresh[]. Yields of over 2 tonnes per hectare of seeds have been achieved[].
A latex in the leaves can be converted into vehicle fuel[]. Reports suggest potential yields of fuel ranging from 5 to 125 barrels per hectare[].
The growing plant is said to repel mice and moles, this is said to be most effective in its second year of growth though lots of reports cast doubt on this ability[, , , ].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c.