Euonymous – Celastraceae.
Popular names: episcopal cap, spindle tree.
Pharmacy name: euonymus fruit – Euonymi fructus (formerly: Fractus Euonymi), euonymus leaves – Euonymi folium (formerly: Folia Euonymi), euonymus bark – Euonymi cortex (formerly: Cortex Euonymi).
Botanical description. Shrub of medium size, with small greenish flowers, from which four-leaved yellowish-red fruits-boxes with poisonous seeds develop later. The stems are tetrahedral, the leaves are elliptical. It grows throughout Europe on roadsides, forest edges and sunny slopes. Often grown as an ornamental shrub in gardens and parks.
Active ingredients: alkaloids, digitaloids, bitterness.
Application. All parts of the plant are used to prepare heart remedies and, in addition, act as a mild laxative.