Steinmetz:Buxus

Buxus sempervirens

Also known as (or relevant to) Buxus sempervirens Family Buxaceae English Names Common Box tree Natural Habitat Western and Southern Europe (including Great Britain) Western Himalayas Japan Persia Part(s) Used Folia Buxi Radix Buxi Lignum Buxi Cortex Buxi

Constituent(s) buxine parabuxine buxinidine parabuxinidine buxinamine resin pectin gum essential oil (all of them mostly in the leaf and in the bark and especially in the rootbark) Action bark wood: laxative diuretic cholagogue depurative febrifuge alterative sudorific tonic vermifuge antiperiodic sedative narcotic In excessive doses all parts of the tree are toxic. The leaves are used externally in the form of an infusion to promote the growth of the hair with excellent results.