Scientific Name Baliospermum montanum (Willd.) Muell. Family Euphorbiaceae Used Part Root Distribution Area Distributed almost throughout India from Kashmir eastwards to Arunachal Pradesh, up to an elevation of 1,000 m and southwards into peninsular India, ascending to an altitude of 1,800 m in the hills of Kerala. Common Uses . The powdered seeds are used as a drastic purgative, one seed being the dose for an adult. But in large doses, they act as an acronarcotic poison. Externally, they are used as a stimultant and rubefacient. The seeds are sometimes substituted for those ofjamalgota (Croton tiglium Linn.) and are often sold in the market under the same name. The seeds externally applied in rheumatism as a counter-irritant. The roots are black in colour with thick bark; dried roots vary from 0.6 to 3.8 cm in diam and are collected throughout the year for medicinal use. In Ayurvedic system of medicine the root is considered pungent, heating, anthelmintic, diuretic and useful in skin diseases, piles, wounds and enlarged spleen. Oven-dired (at 50-70°) powdered roots are yellowish brown in colour, without any distinct taste and odour. The crude drug is available in the market under the name Dantimula.It is cathartic and often found adulterated either with the roots of Jatropha curcas Linn. orRicinus communis Linn. The root is administered in dropsy and jaundice. It also enters into the Ayurvedic preparation, Dasamoola panchakoladhi kashayam, used against ascites. The plant is reported to be used for the treatment of abdominal tumours and cancer. The leaves are purgative and also used for dropsy. They may be used for poulticing wounds. The leaves are given as a decoction or infusion in asthma. The sap is reported to corrode iron. In Andhra Pradesh, the latex is used by tribals for body-ache and pain of joints. Similar crude drugs Croton tiglium Linn. Pharmacological Effect Ethanolic extract of the roots exhibited, in vivo, activity against P- 388 lymphocytic leukaemia.