Gen info
- Claoxylon indicum is a plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
- Etymology: The genus name derives from Greek words klan, meaning 'break' and xulon, meaning 'wood', referring to the weak wood of the genus. The specific epithet indicum derives from Latin, meaning 'from India'. referring to a locality of collection of the type specimen. (2)

Botany
• Growth form: It is a small tree or shrub with sparse branching that grows to 8 m tall. Foliage: Leaves are rough to touch, egg-shaped to elliptic, hairy underneath, measuring 13 - 25 cm long by 7 - 15 cm wide. Flowers: Flowers are dioecious where the male and female inflorescence are borne on different plants. The female clusters measures up to 33 cm long, flowers are green to white with 3 - 4 sepals. The male clusters are shorter, up to 7.5 cm long, flowers are green with 3 - 5 sepals. Fruit: The fruit is a dull light green to bluish green capsule covered in dense whitish short hairs, measuring 4 mm long. Seeds are 3 - 3.8 mm in diameter, covered in a thin red covering known as aril. (FLORA & FAUNA WEB)

• Claoxylon indicum is a pyramid-shaped shrub or small tree growing to 2–10 m in height. Branches are gray and hairy, with large leaf scars. Leaves are oval and 80–300 mm long. Slender male inflorescence is 30–150 mm long, carrying many flowers; the female inflorescence 15–80 mm long. Lobed fruit is 7–10 mm in diameter, and the seeds round, black and wrinkled. (3)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Also native to Andaman Is., Borneo, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., Hainan, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Myanmar, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam. (3)

Constituents
- Study of stems isolated seven compounds: oelanolic acid (1), 6-amyrin (2), 7-ketositosterol (3), scopoletin (4), ß-sitosterol-ß-glucoside (5), L-pyroglutamic acid (6), and ß-sitosterol (7). (6)

Properties
- Young leaves have laxative effect.
- Studies suggested anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic properties.

Parts used
Leaves, bark.

Uses
Edibility
- Leaves are edible; eaten as steamed vegetable or used for making sauce.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Used for rheumatic arthralgia, beriberi, edema, post-traumatic swelling, burns, and scaldings. For traumatic hemorrhage, pestled fresh leaves applied externally. (4)
- Leaves used for laxative effect.
- Leaves used as ingredient for an asthma ointment that is rubbed on the chest. (5) Leaves pounded together with pieces of bark applied to chest for treatment of asthma.
- In south Sumatera, Indonesia, leaves used for treatment of malaria. (9)
- In China, used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lumbocrural pain and food edema.
- In Nicobar Islands, used topically for snake bites, skin injuries, pruritus, ringworm, scrotal pains, joint pains, headaches, fever, dizziness, body aches, bone fractures and paralysis. Used orally for menstrual problems, cough, dysentery, vomiting of blood. (7)
- In Vietnam, use as bleach, for purging; leaves used for removing shrapnel; roots used as low anesthetic. (8)
Others
- Aquarium feed: Leaves can be used as fish food . (3)
- Diapers: Large soft leaves rumored to be used as diapers.

Studies
• Anti-Arthritic / Dried Stems and Roots: Study evaluated extracts of ethanol extracts (CIE) of dried stem and root for anti-arthritic activity on mice with adjuvant induced joint arthritis.  Arthritis was induced by subcutaneous injection of complete Freund's adjuvant into the plantar surface of the right hind paw.  CIE at 0.4 and 0.8 g/kg suppressed the inflammatory responses in joints of adjuvant-induced arthritis in mice, suggested by modulatory effects on paw swelling, hyperplasia or lymphatic tissues and synovial membrane. CIE also decreased levels of MDA and ALP in serum and downregulated expression of IL-1ß and TNFα in the arthritic joints of AIA mice.  Results showed substantial anti-arthritic activity due to immunodepression and regulation of cytokines, and suggests potential for treatment of RA. (5)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Sometimes cultivated for its edible leaves.
- Supplements in the cybermaket. (herba radix)

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Claoxylon indicum / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Claoxylon indicum / National Parks: FLORA & FAUNA WEB
(3)
Claoxylon indicum / Wikipedia
(4)
Claoxylon indicum / Medicinal Plant Images and Database / School of Chinese Medicine
(5)
Anti-arthritic activity of ethanol extract of Claoxylon indicum on Freund’s complete adjuvant-induced arthritis in mice / Yong Chen, Qi-Wen Wang, Jian Zuo, Jian-Wen Chen, Xiang Li / BMC Complement Altern Med, 2017; 17: 11 / DOI: 10.1186/s12906-016-1500-7
(6)
Chemical Constituents from Claoxylon indicum Stems / Y Chen, J Zuo, J Chen, X Li / Zhong Yao Cai, 2015; 38(4): pp 761-763 / ISSN/ISBN: 1001-4454
(7)
Herbal medicine & healthcare practices among Nicobarese of Nancowry group of Islands - an indigenous tribe of Andaman & Nicobar Islands / M Punnam Chander, C Kartick, P Vijayachari / Indian J Med Res., 2015; 141: pp 720-744
(8)
Claoxylon indicum / ePharmacognosy
(9)
Study of medicinal plants in the geothermal area of Mount Seulawah Agam, Aceh Besar District, Indonesia / Muhammad Doudi, Saida Rasnovi et al / Jurnal Natural, 2021; 21(3) / pISSN: 1411-8513 / eISSN: 2541-4062 / DOI: 10.24815/jn.v21i3.18659

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)