Łódź, Botanical Garden

It is native to northern Africa, southern Europe, western Asia, the Indian sub-continent and western China. Ornamental plant. Herbal plant - oleander is a very poisonous plant, containing a powerful cardiac toxin, and should only be used with extreme caution; the leaves and the flowers are cardiotonic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and sternutatory; decoction of the leaves has been applied externally in the treatment of scabies and parasitic skin worms, and to reduce swellings; the roots are powerfully resolvent, because of its poisonous nature it is only used externally, it is beaten into a paste with water and applied to chancres and ulcers on the penis; an oil prepared from the root bark is used in the treatment of leprosy and skin diseases of a scaly nature; oleandrin (neriolin), a cardiotonic glucosides extracled from the leaves, has a salutary effect when used in the treatment of heart failure, it is more quickly absorbed by mouth and is less cumulative than digitoxin (obtained from Digitalis species); the whole plant is said to have anticancer properties. Usable plant - the plant have an extensive root system and is often used to stabilize soil in warmer areas; the plant is used as a rat poison, a parasiticide and an insecticide; a green dye is obtained from the flowers.