ABSTRACT
About 1600 species of Euphorbia genus are distributed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Europe, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. Euphorbia plants are used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal parasitosis, asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, and conjunctivitis. Root decoction is useful for nursing mothers deficient in lactation. The roots powder is used in the treatment of snake bites. Euphorbia plants contain afzelin, quercitrin, myricitrin, rutin, quercitin, euphorbin-A, euphorbin-B, euphorbin-C, euphorbin-D, 2,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, kaempferol, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid, β-amyrin, 24-methylenecycloartenol, β-sitosterol, heptacosane, n-nonacosane, shikmic acid, tinyatoxin, choline, camphol, and quercitol derivatives. Euphorbia plants possess antimicrobial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtili), galactogenic, antimalaria, antiasthmatic, sedative, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, and antifertility activities. The chapter describes folklore medicinal uses, phytochemistry, biological activities, and culture conditions of Euphorbia plants.
