Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Ringworm bush is a tall tropical shrub, known to botanists as Senna alata. The leaves are the part people use. In the Caribbean they are crushed and rubbed on itchy, scaly skin.
The plant carries many local names. It is dartrier in Haiti and Guadeloupe, guacamaya francesa in the Dominican Republic, and Christmas candle in Jamaica. That last name comes from its tall yellow flower spikes.
Long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works. It is not proof that it is safe either. For this plant, the human evidence is thin: a few small, weakly reported trials of leaf creams for fungal skin rashes.
The leaves are also an old folk laxative. That use carries more risk than the skin use, and this page treats it with care.
The leaves contain anthraquinones, plant chemicals that act on fungi and on the gut.
In laboratory dishes, leaf extracts slow the growth of the fungi behind ringworm and athlete's foot. They also slow Candida, a common yeast. Whether this happens on human skin is not well established.
Taken by mouth, these chemicals act in a different way. In the senna family, anthraquinones are known to work as stimulant laxatives in people. They irritate the lining of the large bowel and draw water in, which brings on a bowel movement.
The leaves also hold tannins, which dry and tighten skin on contact. That may explain some of the soothing feel people report. It is not the same thing as clearing an infection.
Most Caribbean use is on the skin. Products taken by mouth are sold mainly as laxative teas.
- Fresh leaves, crushed or rubbed to a pulp.
- Leaf juice squeezed straight onto the skin.
- A strong leaf decoction used as a wash.
- Creams, ointments and lotions made with leaf extract.
- Medicated soaps and shampoos.
- Dried leaf tea sold as a laxative.
- Capsules and tinctures, less often.
Home-made preparations almost never state a strength. Shop-bought creams vary widely from brand to brand.
Caribbean healers used the leaf mainly for skin. Crushed leaves were rubbed on ringworm, itch and other scaly rashes. The English name records that use.
In Haiti and Guadeloupe the plant was called dartrier, from dartre, an old word for a scaly skin patch. Dominican healers knew it as guacamaya francesa. In Jamaica it was Christmas candle, for the yellow flower spikes that stand up like candles.
The plant travelled widely. It was used for skin complaints in West Africa, India and Southeast Asia. Leaf teas were also taken to force a bowel movement.
These records tell you what people did. They do not tell you whether it worked, and they are not a reason to treat yourself.
Stop using it on your skin and see a doctor if the area blisters, swells, weeps or turns more painful. Also see a doctor if a rash spreads, has pus, or has not improved in about two weeks.
Get medical help the same day if, after taking it by mouth, you have severe cramps, blood in your stool, or diarrhoea lasting more than two days.
Go to urgent care for dizziness on standing, marked muscle weakness, or a fast or uneven heartbeat. These can signal fluid and potassium loss.
In the US, UK and EU, ringworm bush is not an approved medicine; it is sold as a soap, cosmetic or herbal supplement. Products like these are not checked for strength or purity before they reach the shelf.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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