Paederia foetida L.

Family : Rubiaceae

Synonym(s) : Convolvulus foetidus; Apocynum foetidum

English Name : Stinkvine

Origin : Indo-Malaysia

Description

Twining, malodorous vines; stems to 2-7 m long, puberulent in lines or sometimes glabrous. Leaves opposite, oblong-lanceolate to ovate, 4.5-14 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, glabrous except lower surface with tufts of hairs in axils of primary veins, margins entire, ciliate when young, becoming glabrate, apex acuminate or acute, base cuneate to rounded or subcordate, petioles 2-5 cm long, stipules ca. 1.5-1.7 mm long, short-acuminate, short-fimbriate-ciliate to ciliate. Flowers in cymes 2-12 cm long, sometimes several grouped together +- with subtending leaves and forming panicles up to 30 cm long; hypanthium ca. 1.5 mm long; calyx lobes deltate, ca. 0.4-0.5 mm long; corolla white to pale yellow with a dark rose purple center, the tube ca. 7-11 mm long, densely floccose externally, purplish within with long, clavate, purple hairs, the lobes scarcely spreading, margins crisped-undulate; stamens inserted at different levels, included. Fruits yellowish brown to red, glossy, sublglobose, 4-6 mm in diameter.

Habitat

Forests of the Himalayas.

Parts Used : Root, stem, leaf and plant

Herb Effects

Roots are considered to be emetic, emollient and carminative, useful in colic, spasm, rheumatism and gout. Leaves and roots are considered to be a tonic. Stimulates the central nervous system. alleviates spasms and anticancer (leaf); immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory (plant).

Active Ingredients

Paederoside, asperoloside and scandoside (stem and leaf); beta-sitosterol, friedelan and epifriedelinol (plant).

Medicinal Use

Hemorrhoids, in piles, inflammation of spleen, liver and chest pain (root); as a tonic (root and leaf); in rheumatism (plant); used as poultice to relieve distension of abdomen due to flatulence and also used in herpes (leaves); to children in diarrhoea (leaf juice); for vesical calculi (leaf decoction).

Dosage

Juice and decoction of the leaves should be given in doses of six teaspoonfuls twice a day on an empty stomach by adding some sugar, jaggery or honey.

Reference