The seeds contain a non-siccative oil, producing a shining
flame with a pleasant nut-like odour. The Burmese use
it for lighting, as a cosmetic, or mixed with other oils as an
insecticide or insect-repellent (Chopra et al., 1956). In some
countries the leaves and bark are eaten for their cathartic properties.
Many parts of the tree are used for the manufacture of
fibre. The latex is known in India for its emetic, purgative and
irritant effects (Chopra et al., 1958). On the Malay peninsula,
the oil from the seeds of Cerbera venenifera is rubbed on the
skin as a rubefacient and as a cure for itching, or applied to
the hair as an insecticide (Minh Hiˆen et al., 1991).