Kingdom Plantae Family Apocynaceae Scientific name Gymnema lactiferum Rank Species | Order Gentianales Genus Gymnema Higher classification Gymnema | |
Similar Asclepiadoideae, Gymnema, Apocynaceae, Teramnus, Martynia | ||
Gymnema lactiferum (Ceylon cow-tree, Ceylon cow plant), is a species of climbing perennial shrub native to India and Sri Lanka. In Sanskrit it is called ksirakakoli. James Emerson Tennent described the use of the plant in his account of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and wrote it was "evidently a form of the G. sylvestre". The milky juice of this plant has been said to be used as a substitute for milk and cream, but it is believed to contain enough of the poisonous principle peculiar to the order to cast a doubt upon this reputed use.
References
Gymnema lactiferum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA