Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY 2.5 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Indian Oleander

Nerium indicum

Also known as Oleander, Sweet Oleander, Kaner, Rosebay, Be-Still Tree

At a glance

Family

Apocynaceae (dogbane family)

Type

Evergreen flowering shrub

Parts used

None. All parts are toxic and are not used as an herbal remedy.

Size

6 to 12 feet tall and wide, sometimes trained as a small tree

Bloom

Late spring through fall, with clusters of pink, white, red, or yellow five-petaled flowers

Habitat

Warm, sunny, dry regions; widely planted along roadsides and in gardens across South Asia, the Mediterranean, and the southern United States

Acquisition

Grow or buy

This plant in HerbSense

Traditional uses

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Nerium indicum has a long history in ornamental and ceremonial planting across South Asia, where its bright, oleander-like blooms decorate temple grounds, courtyards, and roadsides. In some folk traditions, small and carefully measured preparations of the bark or leaves were once used externally or in minute internal doses for skin conditions and as a heart tonic, but this practice was always recognized as extremely dangerous and has largely been abandoned in favor of safer alternatives. Today the plant is valued almost entirely for its beauty, drought tolerance, and toughness in difficult growing conditions, not for any home remedy.

How to grow & use it

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Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

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Substitutes

✦Hawthorn (Crataegus species), traditionally used as a gentle heart-supportive herb
✦Calendula, for skin-soothing preparations where oleander was once mistakenly used

Choose it when

“A plant to admire from a distance, not to gather for the pot or the medicine chest.”

Did you know?

Every part of Nerium indicum, including its sap, smoke from burning trimmings, and even honey made from its nectar, contains potent cardiac glycosides, and there are documented cases of fatal poisoning from something as simple as using a single stem as a skewer for grilling food.

Safety

Nerium indicum (Indian oleander) is highly toxic in all plant parts due to cardiac glycosides; ingestion can cause fatal heart arrhythmias. Not for internal or home remedy use under any circumstances. Keep away from children, pets, and livestock, and seek emergency medical care immediately if exposure occurs.