ABSTRACT
Podophyllum peltatum and P. hexandrum are traditional herbal purgatives and emetics used historically in North America and the Himalayas, respectively. They contain similar chemicals known as lignans which, although highly toxic when ingested, also have potential therapeutic value. It is the foliage of Podophyllum which is its most striking feature: it has large, round leaves in different shades of green, sometimes mottled with different hues, held like open umbrellas. Purified podophyllotoxin is now available in modern pharmaceutical products and can even be self-administered. It is so much more reliable, less toxic, and more effective than the herbal extract that the latter can only be preferred as a treatment for condyloma acuminata on cost grounds. Teniposide is approved for the treatment of cancer in children including Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukaemia.
