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Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Colocasia esculenta

Colocasia esculenta (Araceae)

Common Names
Taro
How this plant is used
Food
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
ALANINE 3 Root 730.0 2485.0 -0.47 *
ALUMINUM 5 Leaf 18.0 -0.76 *
ALUMINUM 5 Root 3.9 -0.31 *
AMYLOPECTIN 0 Root 176400.0 188640.0 *
AMYLOSE 0 Root 68600.0 73360.0 -1.00 *
ARABINOSE 0 Root 3200.0 8560.0 *
ARGININE 14 Leaf 2200.0 15340.0 -0.27 *
ARGININE 14 Root 1030.0 3510.0 -0.36 *
ASCORBIC-ACID 112 Leaf 69.0 3625.0 -0.11 *
ASCORBIC-ACID 112 Root 0.0 325.0 -0.46 *
ASH 0 Leaf 13000.0 155000.0 0.64 *
ASH 0 Root 8000.0 63000.0 -0.13 *
ASPARTIC-ACID 3 Root 1920.0 6540.0 -0.44 *
BETA-CAROTENE 53 Leaf 18.0 298.0 0.16 *
BETA-CAROTENE 53 Root 0.0 0.8 -0.43 *
BORON 4 Leaf 3.6 -1.57 *
BORON 4 Root 0.9 7.0 -0.63 *
CALCIUM 28 Leaf 260.0 17400.0 -0.07 *
CALCIUM 28 Root 130.0 3780.0 -0.40 *
CALCIUM-OXALATE 4 Leaf 4000.0 *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
Download these results as:
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List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Irritant 3 Merck 11th Edition
Keratolytic 1 Martindale's 29th
Laxative 5 *
Leptingenic 1 Challem, J., Berkson, Burt, and Smith, Melissa Dianne. 2000.
Syndrome X - The complete nutritional program to prevent and reservse insulin resistance. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 272 pp. $24.95
Lipotropic 1 Merck 11th Edition
Lithogenic 2 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Litholytic 1 *
Lubricant 2 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Metastatic 1 Science News, 146: 421.
Monoamine-Precursor 3 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Mucogenic 2 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Mucolytic 1 Martindale's 28th
Myorelaxant 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Nematicide 2 Nigg, H.N. and Seigler, D.S., eds. 1992. Phytochemical Resources for Medicine and Agriculture. Plenum Press, New York. 445 pp.
Neuroexcitant 1 Martindale's 28th
Neuroinhibitor 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Neuroprotective 1 *
Neurotoxic 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Neurotransmitter 1 *
NF-kB-Inhibitor 1 *