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Family Menispermaceae
Mamana
Lalapau
Hypserpa nitida Miers
SHINING HYPSERPA
Ye hua teng

Scientific names Common names
Cocculus cuspidatus Wall. Lalapau (Philippines)
Hypserpa borneensis (Miq.) Becc. Mamana (Subanon)
Hypserpa cuspidata (Hook.f. & Thomsom) Miers Shining hypserpa (Engl.)
Hypserpa cuspidata var. microphylla (Miq.) Boerl.  
Hypserpa heteromera Miers.  
Hypserpa jagorii Diels  
Hypserpa laevifolia Diels  
Hypserpa nandinifolia Yamam.  
Hypserpa nitida Miers  
Hypserpa pauciflora Miers  
Hypserpa praevaricata Miers  
Hypserpa propensa Miers  
Hypserpa triflora Miers  
Hypserpa uniflora Miers  
Limacia borneensis Miq.  
Limacia cuspidata Hook.f. & Thomsom  
Limacia microphylla Miq.  
Hypserpa nitida Miers is an accepted species. KEW: Plants of the World Online

Other vernacular names
CHINA: Ye hua teng, Xi hong teng.
INDIA: Niri wel.
INDONESIA: Akar sencaw, Akar suganda.
MALAYSIA: Akar minjak.
THAILAND: Haen kuem.

Gen info
- Etymology: Genus name Hypserpa derives from Greek words hypsos 'height' and herpo 'to creep', referring to the climbing habit. (8)

Botany
Hypserpa nitida is a woody vines. Branchlets sparsely to densely pubescent with yellowish hairs when young, glabrescent. Petiole 1-2 cm, pubescent or subglabrescent; leaf blade ovate, ovate-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, rarely elliptic or broadly elliptic, 4-10(-12) × 1.5-5(-7) cm, papery to leathery, both surfaces usually glabrous, rarely pubescent along nerves, adaxially glossy, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex acuminate, mucronate, or slightly obtuse with a finely mucronate acumen, palmately 3-veined. Male inflorescences usually only few flowered, cymose to paniculate, 1-2 cm, rarely longer and more flowered, pubescent. Male flowers: sepals 7-11, outer sepals minute and bracteolelike, 0.5-0.8 mm, puberulent outside, innermost 4 or 5 broadly obovate or ovate to ovate-rotund, 1.5-2.5 mm, ciliate; petals 4 or 5, subobovate, 1-1.2 mm; stamens 5-10, free above or connate only at base, 1-1.5 mm. Female flowers: sepals and petals as in male; carpels 2; ovary semiglobose or subelliptic, 0.8-1 mm, glabrous. Drupes subglobose, slightly compressed, yellow or orangish red when mature; endocarp obovate, 5-6 mm. (Flora of China)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Also
native to Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, China, Hainan, India, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand. (2)
- Grows primarily in wet tropical biome.
- Forests and forest margins, up to 2000 m elevation.

Constituents
- Study isolated two new alkaloids, hypserpanines A and B (1, 11), together with eleven known compounds, phenolbetain (2), acutumine (3), acutumidine (4), dechloroacutumine (5), dauricumine (6), dauricumidine (7), pronuciferine (8), glaziovine (9), S-reticuline (10), magnoflorine (12) and laurifoline(13). (see study below) (3)
- Roots contain alkaloids limacine and fanchinoline. (5)
- Contains glaucine (C18H19NO3), an isoquinoline alkaloid. (6)

Properties
- Study suggested anti-hepatitis B property.

Parts used
Roots, leaves, whole plant.

Uses

Folkloric

- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Roots contain alkaloids limacine and fanchinoline, which are used medicinally. (5)
- In Chinese medicine, used for cooling blood and stopping bleeding, anti-inflammation and diuresis. Use for treatment of hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematochezia, and traumatic bleeding. Decoction for oral use 6-12 gm per doses. For external use, ground into powder and applied to affected areas.
(7) Leaves applied to wounds. (8)
Others
- Fiber / Cordage: Stems used for tying or making rough rope. In the Philippines, bast fiber made into bow string. (1)


Studies
Anti-Hepatitis B / Alkaloids:
Study isolated two new alkaloids, hypserpanines A and B (1, 11), together with eleven known compounds. All the isolated alkaloids were evaluated for anti-HBV activity in vitro using HBV transfected HepG2.2.15 cell line. The most active compound, dauricumidine (7), exhibited an IC50 of 0.450 mM (SI=4.13) on hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HbsAg) secretion of the Hep G2.2.15 cell line. (see constituents above) (3)
Herbal Mixture for Chronic Prostatitis / Invention: Hypserpa nitida is one of ten herbal constituents in a herbal Chinese invention for treating chronic prostatitis, which is purported to match antibiotics. (4)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

March 2023

                                                 PHOTOS / ILLUSTRATIONS
IMAGE SOURCE: Photograph: Hypserpa nitida / Reuben C J Lim / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / Non-commercial use / click on image to go to source page /  flickr
OTHER IMAGE SOURCE: Illustration: Hypserpa nitida / Public Domain / Handbookk to the Flora of Ceylon (Plate IV) / Wiikipedia

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Hypserpa nitida (PROSEA) / M Brink, PCM Jansen, CH Bosch / Pl@ntUse
(2)
Hypserpa nitida / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(3)

Two new alkaloids and active anti-hepatitis B virus constituents from Hypserpa nitida / Cheng P, Ma YB, Yao SY, Zhang Q, Wang EJ, Yan MH, Zhang XM, Zhang FX, Chen JJ / Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2007; 17(19): pp 5316-5320 / DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.08.027 / PMID: 17723297 
(4)
Traditional Chinese medicine for treating chronic prostatitis / CN103877380A.China / Patents
(5)
Hypserpa nitida / AsianPlantNet
(6)
Alkaloids by name: Aconine to Hypaconitine / Johnel Fick / UqEduAu
(7)
Hypserpa nitida / (Ed) Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng / Common Chinese Materia Medica, Volume 2
(8)
Hypserpa nitida / Umberto Quattrocchi / CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)

                                                            List of Understudied Philippine Medicinal Plants

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