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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
CALCIUM-OXALATE 4 Root 430.0 -0.61 *
CARBOHYDRATES 0 Leaf 48000.0 640000.0 0.22 *
CARBOHYDRATES 0 Root 200000.0 885000.0 0.71 *
CAROTENOIDS 0 Leaf 5.0 7.3 -1.00 *
CAROTENOIDS 0 Root 0.1 0.2 -1.00 *
COPPER 12 Leaf 1.5 -0.72 *
COPPER 12 Root 1.6 8.0 -0.41 *
CYSTINE 2 Leaf 640.0 4465.0 1.31 *
CYSTINE 2 Root 320.0 1090.0 0.47 *
FAT 0 Leaf 6000.0 107000.0 1.01 *
FAT 0 Root 1000.0 16000.0 -0.23 *
FIBER 15 Leaf 12000.0 150000.0 -0.14 *
FIBER 15 Root 6100.0 37000.0 -1.14 *
GALACTOSE 1 Root 35200.0 94100.0 1.00 *
GLUTAMIC-ACID 8 Root 1740.0 5925.0 -0.79 *
GLYCINE 12 Root 740.0 2520.0 -0.20 *
HEMICELLULOSE 0 Root *
HISTIDINE 7 Leaf 1140.0 7950.0 1.29 *
HISTIDINE 7 Root 340.0 1160.0 -0.62 *
HOMOGENTISIC-ACID 2 Rhizome *
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
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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 *