Caralluma Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Caralluma (Caralluma adscendens, including the form sold as Caralluma fimbriata) is a leafless succulent of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, native to dry scrub and rocky ground across peninsular India and Sri Lanka, with related species through Arabia and North Africa. It forms clumps of fleshy, four-angled, grey-green stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall with soft teeth along the angles, looking much like a small spineless cactus. In the rainy season it bears clusters of small, star-shaped flowers in dull purple or brownish-yellow, often fringed with hairs and smelling faintly of carrion to attract flies. Rural Indians eat the raw stems as a vegetable. We extract the dried root.