Botany
Pintado is an erect, branched, smooth, half-woody herb or shrubby plant, 0.5 to 1.5 meters high. Leaves are alternate and extremely variable in shape, most often oblong-ovate, 3 to 10 centimeters long, the lower ones usually entire, the upper ones variously lobed, sinuate, dentate, or subentire, and the uppermost ones blotched with red at the base, similar to the bracts. Bracts are leaflike, much smaller than the leaves; the lower part is red and the upper, green. Involucres are clustered at the ends of the branches, about 3 millimeters long, green, with one sinus bearing an unappendaged gland. Capsules are nodding, about 5 millimeters wide.
 Distribution
- Introduced species.
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Ornamental cultivation in Manila and larger towns.
- Occasionally, astray in waste places.
- Native of tropical America.
Constituents
- Leaves contain a red coloring matter, porcetin.
- Study yielded tannins, phlobatannin, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids and flavonoids.
- Study yielded terpenoids, quinones, alkaloids, sterol, coumarin, starch, and protein.
Parts used
Roots, bark, leaves, stem.
Uses
Folkloric
- Used for constipation, bronchitis and asthma.
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In Kedah, decoction of roots and bark used for ague.
- In Yucatan, juice of stem used for erysipelas.
- In Nigeria, used for erysipelas, cough, bronchial paroxysmal asthma, hay fever and catarrh; latex used for insect bites.
- Also, used as purgative.
- Leaves and roots used for traumatic injury.
Studies
• Wound Healing: Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, cyanide, tannis, flavonoids and saponins. Study showed healing and sealing characteristics of Euphorbia heterophylla leaf gell in rats following topical administration.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Study of the aqueous extract of E heterophylla showed significant anti-inflammatory activity which was not dose-dependent.
• Superoxide Scavening / Phytochemicals: Study isolated for the first time four chemical constituents - carboxylic acids, 4-hydroxycarboxylic acid, steroidal components - stigmasterol and stigmasterol glucoside. The isolated compounds revealed superoxide scavening properties, most active with stigmasterol glucoside.
• Anticoagulant / Oxytocic / Laxative: Study of aqueous extract of leaves showed (1) laxative effect as a result of increased peristaltic movements (2) muscaric activity blocked by atropine (3) oxytocic effect from binding to oxytocic receptors, and (4) anticoagulant effect probably from the rich saponin content.
• Antimicrobial: Study of leaf extracts showed good antimicrobial activity against B subtilis, E coli, S aureus, P aeruginosa, C albicans, K pneumonia.
• Antinociceptive: Used as an analgesic in traditional medicine, a study of evaluating the hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts of E. heterophylla showed significant analgesic effects at doses of 150-300 mg/kg i.p.
• Antimicrobial / Anticancer:: Study of ethanol extract showed significant antimicrobial activity esp against Proteus vulgaris and Staph aureus. An alcoholic extract showed significant in-vitro cytotoxic activity on EAC (Erhlich ascites carcinoma) cell lines.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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