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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
MUCILAGE 3 Root 40000.0 10700.0 -1.23 *
MUFA 13 Leaf 600.0 4185.0 -0.32 *
MUFA 13 Root 160.0 454.0 -0.77 *
NIACIN 39 Leaf 8.0 105.0 0.09 *
NIACIN 39 Root 4.0 40.0 -0.30 *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Leaf 600.0 4185.0 -0.08 *
OLEIC-ACID 18 Root 160.0 545.0 -0.51 *
OXALATE 0 Leaf 4260.0 -1.07 *
OXALATE 0 Root 650.0 -0.74 *
OXALIC-ACID 9 Root 1334.0 0.19 *
PALMITIC-ACID 13 Leaf 1310.0 9135.0 -0.21 *
PALMITIC-ACID 13 Root 350.0 1190.0 -0.35 *
PHENYLALANINE 7 Leaf 1950.0 13600.0 0.86 *
PHENYLALANINE 7 Root 820.0 2795.0 -0.09 *
PHOSPHORUS 4 Leaf 490.0 5800.0 0.15 *
PHOSPHORUS 4 Root 460.0 5204.0 0.30 *
PHYTOSTEROLS 2 Root 190.0 650.0 -0.64 *
POTASSIUM 14 Leaf 4370.0 51774.0 0.95 *
POTASSIUM 14 Root 3230.0 21760.0 0.44 *
PROLINE 0 Root 600.0 2045.0 0.06 *
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
NO-Genic 1 *
Osteogenic 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Oxidant 2 Larson, R.A. 1987. Review Article Number 30. The Antioxidants of Higher Plants. Phytochemistry. 27: 969-978.
Parasiticide 1 Martindale's 29th
Percutaneostimulant 2 Seki, T., Toeda, C., Kawaguchi, T., Juni, K., Sugibayashi, K., and Morimoto, Y. 1990. Enhanced Transdermal Delivery of Zidovudine in Rats and Human Skin. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 38(11): 3086-3089, 1990.
Perfumery 3 Aloe Research Council - Duke writeup of non-peer reviewd book by Coats and draft by Henry
Pesticide 8 *
Phagocytotic 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Pituitary-Stimulant 1 *
Poultice 1 Martindale's 29th
Prolactinogenic 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Prooxidant 2 *
Propecic 4 *
Renotoxic 1 Merck 11th Edition
Roborant 1 Merck 11th Edition
Scabicide 1 Martindale's 29th
Schizophrenigenic 1 Davies, S., and Stewart, A. 1990. Nutritional Medicine. Avon Books, New York. 509pp.
Sedative 2 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Serotoninergic 2 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Soap 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.