Botany:
· Perennial twining herb. Stem angled, red-violet
in color with hooked spines.
· Leaves: alternate, deltoid, 3 to 10 cm long; petiole peltately
attached.
· Flowers: corolla lobes 5, white or bluish-violet in color,
oblong, gradually enlarging during fruiting time. Stamens 8. Inflorescence
few-flowered, blooming during summer, borne on the upper part of the
leaf axils.
· Fruits: achenes, almost globose, 3 mm in diameter, black when
ripe, shiny. The entire infructescence enclosing the fleshy calyx.
Distribution
Sprawling over thickets in ravinesIn
high altitude areas throughout the Philippines, 1,300 to 1,600 m. -
the Mountain province, Benguet, Ifugao in Luzon and Budkidnon in Mindanao.
In some countries, considered an invasive weed specie with "pest-status"
that threatens forest regeneration. (Link)
Parts
utilized:
· Entire plant.
· Collect from May to October.
· Rinse, sun-dry.
Properties
Acidic tasting, cooling natured, antifebrile,
carminative, anti-infective, anti-dermatosis.
Depurative , diuretic.
Constituents
· Study yielded five
diferuloyl esters of sucrose, with vanicoside A and B.
· Study yielded four neoflavonoids.
Uses
Folkloric
· Used for colds and fever,
enteritis-diarrhea, infected wounds, and snakebites.
· Used for hematuria.
· Decoction: Use15 to 30 gms dried material.
· May use decoction as wash for or sprinkle dried powdered material
over burns, dermatitis, eczema.
· Juice of leaves for backache.
Culinary
• Leaves and seeds are edible.
• Seeds, raw or cooked.
Studies
• Phytochemicals: (1) Study yielded sucrose phylpropanoid esters plus vanicoside A and B. (2) Study yielded four neoflavonoids.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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