This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before using herbs, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition.
Adenium obesum contains cardiac glycosides, including oleandrigenin and digitoxigenin, which inhibit the sodium-potassium ATPase pump in cells. This mechanism increases intracellular calcium concentrations, producing stronger cardiac muscle contractions but also creating significant toxicity risks. In traditional East African medicine, bark and root preparations were applied topically for antimicrobial effects on skin conditions. Evidence Level C (preliminary studies) supports these traditional uses. The same compounds responsible for potential therapeutic effects also explain its historical use as an arrow poison and current safety concerns.
Does Adenium obesum interact with heart medications?
Yes, Adenium obesum poses serious interaction risks with cardiac medications. Its cardiac glycosides can potentiate the effects of digoxin and other digitalis-type drugs, potentially causing dangerous arrhythmias or cardiac toxicity. Concurrent use with beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or antiarrhythmic medications is contraindicated. The plant's compounds may also interact with diuretics, worsening electrolyte imbalances and increasing toxicity risk. Due to these significant interaction risks and limited therapeutic evidence (Level C), internal use should be strictly avoided. Always consult a healthcare provider before using any herbal products alongside prescription medications.
What is the recommended dosage of Adenium obesum?
There is no safe recommended dosage for Adenium obesum due to its significant toxicity profile. The plant contains potent cardiac glycosides that can cause serious adverse effects even in small amounts. Traditional use involved only topical application of bark or root preparations for skin conditions, never internal consumption. The sap is particularly dangerous and should not contact skin. Evidence Level C indicates insufficient clinical data to establish safe dosing parameters. Given the risk of cardiac toxicity and lack of standardized preparations, this herb is not recommended for therapeutic use without professional supervision.
Is Adenium obesum safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
Adenium obesum is unsafe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The cardiac glycosides present in all plant parts, particularly in the sap, can cross the placenta and potentially affect fetal heart development. These compounds may also pass into breast milk, posing risks to nursing infants. Traditional medicine practitioners historically avoided this herb in pregnant women. Evidence Level C research confirms significant toxicity concerns with no established safe exposure threshold. Women who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding should avoid all contact with Adenium obesum, including topical applications. Consult a qualified healthcare provider for safer alternatives.
What is Adenium obesum used for in traditional medicine?
In East African traditional medicine, Adenium obesum bark and roots have been used externally for treating skin diseases, wounds, and as a topical antiseptic wash. The plant was also historically used as an arrow poison due to its toxic cardiac glycoside content. Despite these traditional applications, Evidence Level C indicates limited scientific validation of therapeutic benefits. The sap is highly toxic and can cause severe skin irritation. Modern herbal practice does not generally recommend this plant due to safety concerns and the availability of safer alternatives for skin conditions. Internal use is strictly contraindicated.
Is Adenium obesum poisonous to humans?
Yes, Adenium obesum is poisonous to humans. All parts of the plant contain cardiac glycosides, including oleandrigenin and digitoxigenin, which can cause serious cardiac toxicity if ingested. The sap is particularly dangerous and can cause skin irritation, inflammation, and blistering upon contact. Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, and potentially death. Evidence Level C confirms toxicity through preliminary studies and documented traditional knowledge as an arrow poison. The plant should be handled with gloves, kept away from children and pets, and never used internally. Seek immediate medical attention if ingestion occurs.
PubMed-compiled information sheet
This sheet was compiled from PubMed (NIH) abstracts using AI assistance. Every factual claim is cited to a real PubMed article (see the source list). It has not yet been human-reviewed — confirm with a healthcare provider before use.
Compiled from 30 PubMed articles · model: gemma4:31b
Summary
Adenium obesum, known as the desert rose, is a medicinal plant of the Apocynaceae family characterized by its poisonous nature and various pharmacological properties [PMID:34220230, PMID:32565713].
Background
Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult. is a member of the Apocynaceae family, native to southeastern Africa, and is valued as both an ornamental plant and a source of medicinal compounds [PMID:34220230, PMID:30795435].
Traditional uses
In Oman, indigenous people use the plant for treating venereal diseases, wounds, skin diseases, headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain [PMID:28725623]. It is also used by indigenous communities in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia [PMID:33048292].
Active compounds
The plant contains cardiac glycosides (including cerberin, neriifolin, somalin, hongheloside A, 16-acetylstrospeside, and honghelin), flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, pregnanes (such as neridienone A and 16,17-dihydroneridienone A), and carbohydrates [PMID:37506605, PMID:30838743, PMID:2347008, PMID:903878].
Mechanism of action
Certain cardiac glycosides from A. obesum act as inhibitors of the hedgehog/GLI-signaling pathway, specifically inhibiting the expression of GLI-related proteins PTCH and BCL2 in human pancreatic cancer cells [PMID:21170436]. In silico molecular docking suggests that 16-3-Acetyldigitoxigenin may exert anticancer effects by binding to macromolecular receptors involved in cancer progression [PMID:32565713].
Clinical evidence
Evidence DCancer
Extracts and isolated cardiac glycosides (e.g., honghelin, obeside B, and C) demonstrated cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis in various human cancer cell lines, including cervical (HeLa), prostate (PC-3), breast (MCF-7), and liver cancer cells [PMID:27582410, PMID:30899170, PMID:41185505, PMID:903878].
Evidence DInfluenza (H1N1)
The cardiotonic glycoside oleandrigenin-β-D-glucosyl (1→4)-β-D-digitalose showed in vitro antiviral activity, reducing virus titre by 69.3% at 1 μg/ml [PMID:21899996].
Evidence DNeurological Diseases
An in-vivo study explored methanolic extract of A. obesum (200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg) alone and with diacerein as a neuroprotective adjuvant for treating neurological diseases [PMID:37506605].
Safety & adverse effects
The plant is poisonous [PMID:34220230]. Ingestion can cause cardiac glycoside toxicosis; a reported case in a macaw involved symptoms such as foaming at the mouth, seizures, severe bradycardia, shock, and gastrointestinal bleeding [PMID:41926281].
Evidence summary
The current evidence is primarily based on in vitro studies, in silico modeling, and animal/case reports (Level D), focusing on phytochemical characterization and cytotoxic properties. There are no human clinical trials (Level B) or systematic reviews (Level A) provided.
PubMed sources
1.PMID: 37506605 (2023) — Exploration of diacerein as a neuroprotective adjuvant to Adenium obesum: An in-vivo study. · Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine
2.PMID: 34220230 (2021) — The cp genome characterization of Adenium obesum: Gene content, repeat organization and phylogeny. · Saudi journal of biological sciences
3.PMID: 30838743 (2019) — Molluscicidal activity of cardiac glycosides isolated from Adenium obesum. · Pest management science
4.PMID: 32565713 (2020) — Molecular docking elucidates the plausible mechanisms underlying the anticancer properties of acetyldigitoxigenin from Adenium obesum. · Saudi journal of biological sciences
5.PMID: 2347008 (1990) — Cardiac glycosides and pregnanes from Adenium obesum (studies on the constituents of Adenium. I).
Government sources
No direct government monograph is available for this herb. The content below is AI-generated and has not been verified against an authoritative government source. Use the search links to check official sources before relying on this information.
6.PMID: 33048292 (2021) — Phytochemicals, Trace Element Contents, and Antioxidant Activities of Bark of Taleh (Acacia seyal) and Desert Rose (Adenium obesum). · Biological trace element research
7.PMID: 41926281 (2026) — Successful Treatment of Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) Toxicosis in a Blue and Gold Macaw (Ara ararauna). · Journal of avian medicine and surgery
8.PMID: 21170436 (2011) — New hedgehog/GLI-signaling inhibitors from Adenium obesum. · Organic & biomolecular chemistry
9.PMID: 27582410 (2017) — Cytotoxic cardiac glycosides from the fruit (pods) of Adenium obesum (Forssk.) Roem. & Schult. · Natural product research
10.PMID: 30899170 (2019) — Cytogenotoxic effects of Adenium obesum seeds extracts on breast cancer cells. · Saudi journal of biological sciences
11.PMID: 35928278 (2022) — In Vitro Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anticancer, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Adenium obesum. · Frontiers in pharmacology
12.PMID: 41185505 (2025) — Evaluation of the Anti-Liver Cancer Activity of Protein Fractions Isolated from Adenium obesum Leaf Extract. · Protein and peptide letters
13.PMID: 903878 (1977) — Phytochemical investigation of Adenium obesum Forskal (Apocynaceae): isolation and identification of cytotoxic agents. · Journal of pharmaceutical sciences
14.PMID: 28725623 (2017) — Isolation and characterization of antimicrobial compound from the stem-bark of the traditionally used medicinal plant Adenium obesum. · Journal of traditional and complementary medicine
15.PMID: 30795435 (2005) — Tomato spotted wilt virus Identified in Desert Rose in Florida. · Plant disease
16.PMID: 21899996 (2012) — In vitro anti-influenza virus activity of a cardiotonic glycoside from Adenium obesum (Forssk.). · Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology