What is ringworm bush?

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.

How does ringworm bush work?

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.

What forms does ringworm bush come in?

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.

Where it comes from:

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.

What does ringworm bush help with?

• ringworm and other fungal skin rashes (tinea): This is the best-known use and the one with any evidence behind it. Tradition held that crushed leaves clear ringworm from the skin. In laboratory tests, leaf extracts slow the fungi that cause ringworm and athlete's foot. A few small trials in Southeast Asia tested leaf creams on people and reported some clearing. Those trials were small and poorly reported. Antifungal creams from a pharmacy have far stronger evidence. Scalp and nail infections need a doctor, not a leaf.
• pityriasis versicolor (a patchy skin yeast rash): Tradition used leaf washes on pale or dark patches on the chest and back. A small number of trials tested leaf lotions for this rash. Some reported that patches faded. The studies were short, involved few people, and have rarely been repeated. This use is promising at best, not proven.
• scabies and general skin itch: Caribbean and West African healers used leaf pulp for itch and for scabies, a mite infestation. There are no good human trials for either. Scabies needs a proven treatment to clear the mites. Untreated, it spreads to other people in the house.
• constipation: The leaf tea was taken as a purge. Anthraquinone laxatives as a class do work in people, so an effect here is likely and real. The problem is control. A home-made tea has no known strength, so cramps and watery diarrhoea are common. Senna alata leaf tea itself has little trial data of its own.
• minor skin sores and insect bites: Tradition used leaf juice on bites, sores and rough skin. Tannins in the leaf dry and tighten skin on contact, which may feel soothing. No human trials support healing or infection control here. Do not put it on open wounds.

What are the side effects of ringworm bush?

• stinging or burning where it is applied
• redness and irritation of the skin
• an allergic rash with itching, swelling or blisters
• yellow-brown staining of skin and cloth
• belly cramps after taking it by mouth
• watery diarrhoea
• dehydration and dizziness
• low potassium (hypokalaemia), which can cause muscle weakness
• dark or reddish urine, a harmless colour change
• a bowel that stops working well after long laxative use
• worsening of a rash that was never fungal

Good to know:

Mild skin stinging and redness are the most common problems. A true allergic rash is less common but does happen.

The effects from taking it by mouth are the ones to respect. Cramps and diarrhoea are predictable. Dehydration and low potassium follow heavy or repeated use.

How much ringworm bush should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives no personal dose. What labels usually carry is this: creams and soaps made from the leaf are applied thinly to the affected skin once or twice a day. Dried leaf laxative teas carry one evening serving and a short-term warning. Home-made leaf pulp, juice and tea have no stated strength. That is why people often get a stronger effect than they expect, above all by mouth. Ask a pharmacist or doctor before you use it, and before any use on a child.
• Best time of day: For skin use, the time of day does not matter. Clean and dry the area first. Laxative teas are usually taken in the evening. The effect takes several hours, so it lands the next morning.
• With or without food: Skin use has nothing to do with meals. Leaf tea can be taken with or without food. Drink plenty of water, since loose stools cost you fluid.
• Time to effect: On skin, any change takes days to weeks. It may also do nothing at all for your rash. By mouth, a laxative effect usually comes in 6 to 12 hours. That part is predictable; the strength is not.
• How long to take it: On skin, most traditional and shop-bought uses are short. If a rash has not changed in about two weeks, stop and get it looked at. By mouth, stimulant laxative products carry a limit of about one week. Longer use is linked to a sluggish bowel and to potassium loss.