''Phytolacca dodecandra'', commonly known as endod, gopo berry, or African soapberry, is a trailing shrub or climber native to

Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with hot moist climates, which are caused by latitude and the trop ...

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

, and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Morphologically, it is highly variable. ''Endod'' (as it is known in Amharic or ''shibti'' in

Tigrigna (; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions. History and literature ...

) has been selected and cultivated by Africans for centuries, particularly in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and Eritrea. It is used as a soap and shampoo as well as a poison to stun fish. ''Endod'' is lethal to snails - a fact discovered by Ethiopian scientists - and may be effective controlling schistosomiasis. After

Aklilu Lemma Aklilu Lemma (; 18 September 1935 – 5 April 1997) was an Ethiopian pathobiologist. In 1989, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award "for discovering and campaigning relentlessly for an affordable preventative against bilharzia." Education ...

, an Ethiopian scientist, demonstrated endod's potency to American scientists, they took out a patent, hoping to sell endod as a biological control for the

Zebra mussel The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in ma ...

, a pest in the Great Lakes of the US and Canada. In Ethiopia, two types of "endod" (''Phytolacca dodecandra'') are known to grow and, while the tree's bark are roots are very poisonous if eaten, the leaves and berries of the tree have been traditionally used by villagers in laundering clothes. The two principal varieties are the ''Arabe'' variety, with pinkish to red berries; and the ''Ahiyo'' variety, with yellow-green to green berries. The ''Arabe'' type has a higher saponin content and better molluscicidal activity than the ''Ahiyo'' type (Lugt, 1977). Five species of "endod" are endemic to Ethiopia, but the efficacy of the saponins found in the berries of four of the trees are best when used in their fresh state. One tree produces berries that are efficacious in either their fresh or dry state and are sold in the local marketplaces. The leaves and berries of the ''endod'' were first crushed to a powder before being applied to laundry. When mixed with water, they produce a rich lather. Clothes washed in the solution are made supple and scented by its fragrance.

References

Bibliography

* Lugt (1977), "De zeepbesplant als onderdrukker van bilharzia" ("The soap berry plant as a suppressor of

bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody ...

"), in: ''Landbk''. Tijdschr. 89 (6), pp. 165–169

External links

Prelude Medicinal Plants Database
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3295085 dodecandra Flora of Africa Saponaceous plants Flora of Ethiopia Dioecious plants