Botany
Erect or ascending, half-woody branched plant, about 1 meter high. Stems are slender, angular and hairy. Leaves are simple, with petioles of 1.5 to 2 cm length, oblong-ovate, 6-13 cm in length and 3.5 to 7 cm wide, hairy beneath, with rounded bases and pointed tips. Flowers are numerous, pale green, 4 mm long, borne on lateral and terminal, slender racemes, up to 30 cm long. Pods are numerous, curved and crowded, 1.5 to 3 cm long, 3 mm wide, clothed with minute, hooked hairs.

Distribution
Thickets and secondary forests and waste places throughout the Philippines.

Chemical constituents and characteristics
Contains a principle that reacts with alkaloidal reagents.
Contains a yellow resin.
Febrifuge and anticatarrhal properties.

Parts used
Leaves.
.
Uses
Decoction of leaves for stones of the gall bladder and kidneys.
Decoction of root for diarrhea and as sedative for children.
The root is applied to the gums for toothaches, and the leaves externally for headaches.
Decoction of roots used for fevers.

Availability
Wild-crafted.