With the botanic name Catharanthus roseus , vinca rosea is also commonly called Madagascar periwinkle , rose periwinkle and cape Catharanthus roseus . aboriginal to southeastern and easterly Madagascar , vinca rosea in reality prefer misfortunate , unfertile grease . propagate as both an annual and perennial , vinca rosea has a glossy , deep green , oval leaf and blooms with long - lasting , five - petal pinko , lilac or white flush .

Garden and Landscaping

The long - lasting heyday of vinca rosea make it democratic as a ground screen or garden border as well as in planting for containers and hanging baskets . Some gardeners expend it for naturalizing landscape . It attracts both butterflies and bee . Depending upon the form , vinca rosea farm to the width and depth of 7 to 24 inches , offering deal of options for your garden and landscape design . Some varieties even do well as bloom houseplant .

Herbal Remedies

As an herbaceous plant , Catharanthus roseus is well known around the world according to the National Tropical Botanical Garden . In India , the juice from its leaves is used to treat wasp stings . In part of Central America , it is made into a mouthwash for sore throats . In Cuba , Puerto Rico and Jamaica , the blossom is used to make an extract for babe formula eye-lotion . Periwinkle tea has been used to plow diabetes in Europe and as a cough medicine in China . Its success as an antidiabetic in Jamaica conduct scientists to search applications for genus Vinca rosea in traditional medicine during the 1950s .

Traditional Medicine

Over 70 unlike alkaloids , including vincristine and Velban , have been extracted from vinca rosea with astonishing result . The National Cancer Institute defines vinca alkaloid as " a eccentric of drug that block cell growth by stopping mitosis ( cellphone sectionalization ) . Vinca alkaloid interfere with microtubule ( cellular phone structures that help move chromosomes during mitosis ) . They are used to treat genus Cancer . " Vincristine , marketed as Oncovin , is used to treat leukemia in youngster . Vincristine and vinblastine combined with chemotherapy , according to the National Tropical Botanical Garden , have provided : 80 percent remittance on Hodgkin ’s disease , 99 percentage remission in keen lymphocytic leucaemia , 80 pct remission is Wilm ’s tumors and 70 percent remittal in gestational choriocarcinoma .

Spirituality and Folklore

As far back as medieval times , Catharanthus roseus has been used as a charm and for love potions . garland were once fashioned from the flowers to protect the wearer from evil spirits , fit in to Botanical.com , while the French came to see genus Vinca rosea as an emblem of friendship . Today , many still think in the ghostly king of genus Vinca rosea .

References

…