Molluscicidal and Other Economic Potentials of Endod*

Ended is the Ethiopian name for Phytolacca dodecandra, a full shrub closely related to the American pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. The young green leaves and shoots are edible protein sources after they are boiled and the water is discarded. An extract of saponin from P. dodecandra berries can be used as a molluscicide in the control of schistosomiasis and other snail-borne diseases. The berries have long been used as soap for washing clothes, and roots and leaves, although well-known for their toxicity, have been used as medicine for various ailments and as abortifacients. Recently, ended berries also have been discovered to possess potent spermicidal properties useful for birth control; aquatic insect larvicidal properties potentially useful in the control of mosquitoes and other water-breeding insects; trematodicidal properties for control of the larval stages of Schistosoma and Fasciola parasites; hirudinicidal properties for control of aquatic leeches; and fungicidal properties for the potential topical treatment of dermatophytes. Most of these studies are in experimental stages and need further support. Extensive studies of molluscicidal properties of ended since 1964 suggest a new approach to the control of schistosomiasis and other snail-borne diseases by using locally produced ended on a community self-help basis. Commercially available chemical molluscicides are beyond the reach of developing countries because of their high cost, so ended or similar plant molluscicides that can be developed locally may be very valuable to poorer countries affected by these diseases. Ended’s other newly discovered properties might provide additional economic incentives to develop it. Careful agronomic studies of ended over a 5-year period led to the selection and experimental cultivation of 3 out of 65 strains collected from different ecological zones in Ethiopia. The three strains selected had high molluscicidal potency (two to three t imes more than previously used unselected strains), produced large yields of berries, and were highly resistant to insect pests. Application of new tissue culture techniques at the Plant Products Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, is providing methods *The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations. * ● Formerly Director, Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. of cloning and cultivation for mass propagation of the plant. Ended is being used as a model plant by a biotechnology development program investigating in vitro biosynthesis of an active principle through a continuous calus-cell culture system. The cloned ended plantlets from Utah and the seeds of selected strains from Ethiopia are being grown experimentally in Ethiopia, Zambia, Swaziland, Brazil, and the Philippines. The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborative Centre for Traditional Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago, tested ended for mutagenic properties to determine its safety for widespread use. The results were negative, confirming an earlier study that ended has no mutagenic activity under the different experimental conditions used. Encouraged by these developments, an International Workshop on Ended was convened in Lusaka, Zambia, in March 1983. The workshop reviewed all studies on this plant, identified gaps in knowledge, and developed specific projects that could be undertaken as collaborative ventures by a worldwide network of interested institutions and individuals. Description of the Plant Ended is the Ethiopian name for the soapberry plant Phytolacca dodecandra (L’ Herit) (Synonyms: P. abyssinica Hoffin., Pircunia abyssinica Moq.), a member of the Phytolaccaceae family (fig. 1). The distribution of this plant is east, west, central, and southern Africa and parts of South America and Asia (l). Ended has small berries which, when dried, powdered, and mixed in water yield a foaming detergent traditionally used in Ethiopia and elsewhere for washing clothes. In Ethiopia, ended exists as two main varieties, the more powerful arabe with pink berries and ahiyo with grey berries. The plant is a rapidly growing climber with hanging branches. The plant’s average height is 2z to 3 meters, although it can reach a height of up to 10 meters. Under favorable climatic conditions in Ethiopia, the plant bears fruit twice a year, in January and July. Phytolacca dodecandra L’Herit and the closely related Phytolacca americana L., commonly known in the United States as pokeweed, long have been recognized for their varied uses. Different parts of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and roots, are