Laboratory and field evaluation of the molluscicidal properties of Phytolacca dodecandra

Dried berries of endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) (known also as soapberry) are widely used in Ethiopia instead of soap for laundering clothes. It was observed that in natural bodies of water where endod had been used there was a high mortality of snails. Subsequently, the molluscicidal potencies of various parts of male and female endod plants were determined and the berries were found to be the most potent. The potency of endod remained stable over a wide range of temperatures and pH values, in the presence of various concentrations of river-bed mud and after ultraviolet irradiation of solutions. The toxicity of endod to mammals and plants has been shown to be very low. Its toxicity to snail eggs also is low but it has been shown that this difficulty can be overcome in the field by repeated treatments. Endod kills leeches and schistosome cercariae and miracidia at very low concentrations. Comparative tests with endod and several standard molluscicides have given encouraging results.Being a natural product, endod could become a cheap and effective means of controlling schistosomiasis in certain areas since, under suitable climatic conditions, the plant grows rapidly and bears fruit twice a year.