Caltrop

A genus of about 25 annuals, perennials and subshrubs, found throughout tropical and subtropical regions. They bear flattened, 5-angled fruits that split into five spiny nutlets when ripe, catching on the fur and feet of passing animals. The fruits have a high nitrate content. Tribulus terrestris has a long history of use as a diuretic in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. In the 1990s research showed that it has hormonal effects in men, prolonging erection and improving sperm counts. Cultivation of T. terrestris should be undertaken with caution; it is a noxious weed in certain regions, and causes liver damage, photosensitization, and swelling of the head in livestock. When herbicides failed to control its spread in California in the 1960s, weevils were introduced from India to feed on the plants. Tribulus is derived from the Latin word tribulum, a threshing board with a surface of sharp points.

Sprawling to prostrate, hairy annual with much-branched stems and pinnate leaves, to 4cm (1½in) long, divided into 5-8 pairs of elliptic to oblanceolate, pointed leaflets. Solitary, short-lived, 5-petaled yellow flowers, to 1cm (½in) across, appear in summer, followed by yellow-brown, very hard, spiny fruits, about 1cm (½in) across, containing numerous seeds.


Common Name:
Caltrop
Other Names:
Puncturevine, goatshead
Botanical Name:
Tribulus terrestris
Genus:
Tribulus
Family:
Zygophyllaceae
Location:
Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions
Cultivation:
Moist sandy soil in sun.
Propagation:
By seed sown in spring.
Harvest:
Fruits are collected when ripe and dried for decoctions.
Height:
15-90cm (6-36in)
Width:
15-90cm (6-36in)
Hardiness:
Z10
Parts Used:
Fruits
Properties:
A bitter-sweet, warming, diuretic herb that controls bleeding, has a tonic effect on the liver and kidneys, and stimulates the circulation. It is reputedly aphrodisiac..
Medicinal Uses:
Internally for impotence, premature ejaculation, sprematorrhea, frequent urination, kidney complaints, blurred vision due to deficient liver energy, lumbago, and nosebleeds; also to strengthen contractions during prolonged of difficult labor.
Culinary Uses:
Young leaves and shoots are cooked as a vegetable. Fruits are infused to make tea.
Economic Uses:
Extracts are added to bodybuilding formulas as an alternative to anabolic steroids..
Warning:
Subject to statutory control as a weed in certain areas.
Bibliography:
Encylopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright ©: 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pg 392