SOLÉA HERBAL — Plants, their properties, your balance.

Identity & origin

BOTANICAL IDENTITY

The right name is the first step.

Carissa spinarum is documented in Kew’s SEPASAL inventory. This notice identifies the taxon and a selection of attributed historical uses. It does not recommend medicinal use.

Part used: roots
Origin & distribution: See the linked taxonomic record for distribution; the origin of the documented practice is not inferred from the plant’s range.

Also known as: Carissa spinarum L., Cabucala brachyantha Pichon, Carissa tomentosa A.Rich., Carissa edulis (Forssk.)Vahl, Carissa candolleana Jaub. & Spach, Carissa richardiana Jaub. & Spach, Carissa ovata R.Br., Carissa inermis Vahl, Carissa hirsuta Roth, Carissa scabra R.Br., Carissa laotica Pit., Carissa diffusa Roxb., Carissa villosa Roxb., Carissa pilosa Schinz, Carissa congesta Wight, Carissa carandas Lodd., Carissa horrida Pichon, Carissa velutina Domin, Carissa axillaris Roxb., Carissa dalzellii Bedd., Carissa pubescens A.DC., Carissa obovata Markgr., Carissa papuana Markgr., Carissa lanceolata R.Br., Carissa brownii F.Muell., Carissa densiflora Baker, Carissa laxiflora Benth., Carissa oleoides Markgr., Carissa paucinervia A.DC., Carissa xylopicron Thouars, Carissa sechellensis Baker, Carissa mitis Heynh. ex A.DC., Carissa revoluta Scott-Elliot, Carissa opaca Stapf ex Haines, Carissa coriacea Wall. ex G.Don, Carissa madagascariensis Thouars, Carissa cornifolia Jaub. & Spach, Carissa dulcis Schumach. & Thonn., Carissa campenonii (Drake)Palacky, Carissa gangetica Stapf ex Gamble

The accepted name is reconciled with GBIF; historical source names remain visible as synonyms. Other species and plant parts are not interchangeable. A photograph cannot confirm an identification for consumption.

An illustration is not enough to identify a plant for consumption. Do not forage for a species based solely on this profile.

Uses & evidence

UNDERSTANDING THE USES

Properties & uses.

Reported historical use

Historical record: purgative

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving roots under “purgative” (use group 66865). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

Reported historical use

Historical record: indigestion

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving roots under “indigestion” (use group 66894). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

Reported historical use

Historical record: gastric ulcers

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving roots under “gastric ulcers” (use group 66906). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

The traditional uses described are not clinical proof of effectiveness. Evidence for one preparation cannot automatically be applied to another.

Precautions before use

BEFORE ANY USE

Precautions & contraindications.

This guidance does not cover every individual situation. Missing information is not a guarantee of safety.

The following warnings do not constitute a complete review of interactions or contraindications. An unstudied combination cannot be considered compatible.

Contraindications & precautions

Historical record only. Do not prepare or consume this plant based on this notice.
A complete clinical contraindication assessment is not available in the references used here. Missing information is not evidence of safety.

Medicine interactions

Interactions have not been systematically assessed in this historical inventory. Compatibility with medicines cannot be established.

“Reported” does not prove causality; “possible” may reflect indirect evidence. “None reported” means none in the cited source, not that all combinations have been studied. Do not stop a prescribed treatment based on this profile.

Adverse effects

The historical inventory does not provide a complete adverse-event assessment.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established here. No medicinal use is recommended.

Children & adolescents

No paediatric preparation or dose is validated by this notice. Do not extrapolate historical adult uses to children.

If symptoms persist, worsen or are unusual, consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact the emergency services.

SEPASAL, use group 66906 — Burkill, H.M. — 1985 — The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. Vol. 1. Families A-D; Watt, J.M. and Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. — 1962 — The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa; Von Koenen, E. — 2001 — Medicinal, poisonous and edible plants in Namibia GBIF — Carissa spinarum L.

Sources & last review

CHECKING REFERENCES

Sources for this profile.

Image: katuchka · CC BY 4.0. View the original image and its licence. Image resized and converted to WebP.