| Sarcocadodecandra | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Phytolaccaceae |
| Genus: | Sarcoca |
| Species: | S. dodecandra |
| Binomial name | |
| Sarcoca dodecandra ( L'Hérit. ) V.Skalický |
|
Sarcoca dodecandra, basionym Phytolacca dodecandra, commonly known as endod, Gopo Berry, or African soapberry, is a trailing shrub or climber native to Tropical Africa, Southern Africa, and Madagascar.[1]
Endod (as it is known in Amharic) has been selected and cultivated by Africans for centuries, particularly in Ethiopia. It is used as a soap and shampoo as well as a poison to stun fish. Endod is lethal to snails[1] - a fact discovered by Ethiopian scientists - and may be effective controlling schistosomiasis. After Aklilu Lemma, an Ethiopian scientist, demonstrated endod's potency to American scientists, they took out a patent, hoping to sell endod as a biological control for the Zebra mussel, a pest in the Great Lakes of the US and Canada[2][3] .
Key in Harold H. Lee, Zebra Mussels in Google or Yahoo search, one will find all the published articles by Lee et al.