Scientific name: Pereskia bleo (Kunth) DC.
Family: Cactaceae
Synonym: Cactus bleo Kunth
Bengali/Vernacular name: Golap cactus phul.
English name: Leaf cactus, Rose cactus.
Description of the plant: A deciduous, shrubby, tree-like plant with a height of 1–8 m. Young branches are red and leafy and often bear 5–7 black spines up to 1 cm in length. The leaves are thin, oblong to oblanceolate, glossy, and succulent, 6–21 cm long, and 2–7 cm wide. The flowers are orange-red and grouped in 2–4 terminally and laterally. The fruits are yellow, thick walled, fleshy, and glossy and look like conical berries at maturity, and containing black colour seeds.
Plant parts used: Leaf.
Ethnomedicinal uses: Fresh leaves eaten for relief cancer and gastric pain.
Leaves of the plant are taken for the treatment of muscular ache.
Paste prepared from the leaves of the plant is applied to treat boils.
A fresh juice is extracted from the leaves of the plant is taken twice a day (10 ml amount each time) until the diabetes is cured.
An extract is made with the leaves of the plant is taken thrice a day (20 ml amount each time) for three days to treat hypertension.
Cottonseed-sized pills are made with the leaves of the plant are taken thrice a day (one pill each time) for two days to treat stomachache.
A paste is made with the leaves of the plant is applied externally to treat inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis and rheumatism.
Distribution: It is planted in garden as an ornamental plant.
Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….
