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|text=Since about 1650 it has been cultivated for drug production on Barbados isl. Frequently cultivated and locally naturalized in subtropical and tropical regions around the world. The drug is processed from the bitter, yellow leaf sap by drying. It is used in the human and veterinary medicine; it is also important as constituent of cremes, emulsions and shampoo. A dye is produced from the leaves which is used for staining clothes. The species plays a role in magic and religious rituals in several countries. Also cultivated as hedge plant and ornamental. Intensive studies are underway on its secondary metabolites, useful for medicine. This species had been used as drug already in the antiquity. It had been presumably brought into the New World by the Spaniards. Agarwal (1988) mentioned ''A. abyssinica'', called "desi kwar", to be used in western parts of India. This is, indeed not this species but a variety of ''A. barbadensis''.

|author =Mansfeld.