Botany
Tahid-labuyo is a scandent or strangling, smooth shrub, growing from 2 to 4 meters in length, with branches armed with stout, sharp, straight or somewhat recurved spines, 1 to 1.5 cm long. Leaves are elliptic-ovate to oblong-ovate or oblong-obovate, 3 to 8 cm long, shining, with tapering tips and rounded bases. Heads are solitary or in pairs, rounded, and short-peduncled. Female heads are 7 to 8 mm in diameter, yellowish, dense. Fruit is fleshy, up to 5 cm in diameter.

Distribution
- Found throughout the Philippines, from sea level to an altitude of 1,400 meters.
- Also occurs in India to East Africa, China, Malaya, and Australia.

Constituents
Heartwood produces a yellow dye.

Parts utilized
Bark, leaves.

Uses
Edibility
• In the Moluccas, the young leaves are eaten raw.
• In Japan, fruit of Cudrania javanensis considered edible.
Folkloric
• Decoction of roots used to alleviate coughing; also, used for gastralgia.
• In Sarawak, plant used after childbirth.
• In the Moluccas, paste made from ground wood applied as a cooling agent for fevers.
• In Taiwan, used as analgesic and anti-inflammatory.
Others
• Dye: The heartwood produces a yellow dye used in the Batik industry in Java; in Thailand for traditional fabric dyeing. Mixed with indigo, it produces a green dye.

Studies
• Constituents: From the bark of the Cudrania javanensis, study isolated osajaxanthone, vanillic acid, monmethyl fumarate, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and (-)-(S)-stachydrine.
• Isoflavonoid: Study isolated an isoflavonoid – 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-6,3'-diprenylisoflavone.
• Antibacterial: Study of crude chloroform extract of Maclura cochinchinensis wood showed strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus, S. epidermis, and B. subtilis.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Isolation and identification of constituents from cudrania javanensis / Joseph E Knapp and Paul L Schiff / Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 60 Issue 11, Pages 1729 - 1730 / DOI 10.1002/jps.2600601135
(2)
Molecular and crystal structure of an isoflavonoid, 5,7,4′-trihydroxy-6,3′-diprenylisofla vone from Cudrania javanensis / Mahendra Kalita et al / Department of Life Sciences, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati 781 035, India
(3)
Taxon: Maclura cochinchinensis (Lour.) Corner / USDA / GRIN
(4)
Antimicrobial activity of Desmos chinensis leaf and Maclura cochinchinensis wood extracts / Sopa Kummee and Niwan Intaraksa / Songklanakarin J. Sci. Technol., 30 (5), 635-639, Sep. - Oct. 2008