Kamani

Food and health uses

• In Samoa, every part of the plant is considered a virulent poison, with the milky juice causing blindness, and the sap once inttroduced into the circulation causing death (so it is used as an arrow poison).

• The mature fruit is poisonous enough to use as rat bait.

• The plant has a rich history of use. Ancient native black tribes throughout Papua New Guinea utilized the leves frequently for different kinds of skin problems. The natives in New Caledonia and Samoa use the leaves for different skin inflammations, leg ulcers and wounds. 

More information

• National Tropical Botanical Garden

• Wikipedia

• University of Florida