Heliotropium cinerascens A.DC.
Heliotropium pallens Delile
Heliotropium aegyptiacum is an erect, annual or short-lived perennial plant that can grow up to 75cm tall. It is branched from the base[
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local medicinal use.
There are reports of livestock being poisoned by eating this plant[
]. Although no studies on this have been seen, it is likely that pyrrolizidine alkaloids are responsible[
No specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, but many members of this plant family (Boraginaceae) are known to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These alkaloids have a cumulative effect upon the body and, unless concentrations in a plant are high, occasional use is generally completely safe. They are derived from amino acids including ornithine. Many pyrrolizidine alkaloids have pronounced hepatic toxicity, but the lungs and other organs may be affected as well. Mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have also been reported[
Africa - Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya; also in the Arabian Peninsula.
Open scrub vegetation with succulents, at elevations from 350 - 700 metres[
]. In Egypt it grows along the banks of the Nile and in moist, stony ground[
In Eritrea this species has been found to be a preferred host of the adults and young of the desert locust[
The pulp of the fresh roots is applied to snakebites and scorpion stings[
]. The ash of the burned roots is applied as a healing agent to wounds[
A mixture of leaf pulp and myrrh (the resin of Commiphora myrrha) is applied as a healing agent to wounds[
]. The leaves are applied to the skin as a treatment for dandruff[
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