Gen info
• Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume pea, or bean family, is a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit (legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves. It is widely distributed and is the third largest land plant family, behind only Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with about 765 genera and nearly 20,000 known species. (11)
- Grona is a genus in the flowering plant family Fabaceae, with native range in the worldwide tropics and subtropics. There are about 50 species in the genus. It was previously included in its relative Desmodium. (12)
- Grona was first described by João de Loureiro in 1790 based on specimens from Cochinchina (modern-day Vietnam), long subsumed within Desmodium, but reinstated as distinct in 2018 following molecular phylogenetic analysis. (14)
- Grona heterocarpos is a species of shrub, also called Asian ticktrefoil, in the flowering plant family Fabaceae and genus Grona.
- Etymology: The genus name Grona is an obscure term from Greek root words, possibly referring to grono meaning "a cave." The specific epithet herterocarpos derives from heteros meaning "different" meaning "fruit", referring to the distinct or variable joints of the seed pods.

Botany
• Tayam is an erect or sub-erect perennial undershrub or creeping woody rootstock, with slightly angular and slender branches, clothed upwards with short, adpressed, gray hairs. Leaves usually have three leaflets, but single leaflets may be found on the lower stems of mature plants. Leaflets are green, hairy above, and thinly clothed with adpressed hairs beneath; the end one obovate-oblong, 2.5 to 7.5 centimeters long, the side ones smaller. Racemes are terminal and lateral, 2.5 to 7.5 centimeters long. Pods are 1.2 to 2 centimeters long.

• Shrubs or subshrubs, erect or prostrate, 30-150 cm tall, much branched from base of stem. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 1-2 cm, slightly pubescent; terminal leaflet blade elliptic, nar­rowly elliptic, or broadly obovate, 2.5-6 × 1.3-3 cm, abaxially white adpressed pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base obtuse, apex rounded or obtuse, emarginate, mucronate. Racemes ter­minal or axillary, 2.5-7 cm; rachis with white, spreading, hooked hairs or yellowish or white, straight, appressed hairs, densely flowered. Pedicel 3-4 mm. Calyx 1.5-2 mm, 4-lobed; upper lobes slightly 2-toothed at apex. Corolla purple, purple-red, or white, ca. 5 mm; standard obovate-oblong, shortly clawed; wings obovate, auriculate, clawed; keel extremely curved, apex obtuse. Infructescence crowded. Legume erect, narrowly oblong, 1.2-2 cm × 2.5-3 mm, upper suture shallowly undulate, both sutures hooked hairy, 4-7-jointed; articles quad­rate. 
(Flora of China)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (4)
- In thickets and open grasslands at low and medium altitudes from northern Luzon to Mindanao.
- Also native to Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, Caroline Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Fiji, Hainan, India, Japan, Jawa, Korea, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Nicobar Is., Northern Territory, Queensland, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is., West Himalaya, Western Australia. (4)

Constituents
- Study isolated eight compounds identified as betulic acid,friedelin ,n-hexadecanoic acid, β-sitosterol, (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid,1-hentetracontanol, octacosane, and vitexin. (3)
- Study of aerial parts yielded new 2-carboxy-dihydrostilbene glucoside, 2-carboxy-3,5,4′-trihydroxydihydrostilbene 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (1) and a new flavan diglycoside, (2S)-5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavan 7-O-β-d-apiofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), together with five known compounds, lunularic acid 4′-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), vitexin (4), isovitexin (5), (−)-epi-catechin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (6), and (−)-epi-afzelachin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7).  (10)
- Study of D. heterocarpon extracts of stems and roots isolated six compounds, including genistein (1), hexadecanoic acid (2), salicylic acid (3), ß-sitosterol-D-glucoside (4), 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (5), and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (6). (see study below) (13)
- Methanolic extract of whole plant yielded alkaloids, tannins, steroids, saponins, gums, and reducing sugars. (see study below) (16)

Properties
- Tonic.
- Most Desmodium species are considered anti-inflammatory.
- Studies have shown antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, insecticidal, tyrosinase inhibitory, skin whitening, hepatoprotective, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic properties.

Parts used
Leaves, roots.

Uses
Edibility
- No information on edibility or culinary use.
Folkloric
- Boiled roots used as poultice for sore breasts.
- Plant decoction considered tonic and useful for coughs.
- In West Java, roots and leaves used for women's problems.
- Santals use a plant preparation for fainting and convulsions.
- Plant used for reducing fever and treating contusions and strains. (7)
Others
• Fodder: Practical and resilient long-term grass-legume pasture.
• Ground cover: Used as weed-controlling ground cover. Shade-tolerant and can be used as cut-and-carry for restoration of degraded soils. (7)

Studies
• Antimicrobial / Cytotoxic / Antioxidant: Study evaluated a methanolic extract and fractions of powdered whole plant for antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities. Fractions Fc and Fd showed mild antimicrobial activity. Significant free radical scavenging (DPPH) activity was shown by ME (IC50 19.14±0.14 µg/mL) and Ff (IC50 29.71±0.44 µg/mL). Fractions Fb and Fd showed strong cytotoxicity in brine shrimp lethality bioassay with LC50 of 8.19±0.08 µg/ml and 6.46±0.09 µg/ml, respectively. (2)
• Antioxidant: In a study that evaluated 10 Desmodium species for antioxidant activity, D. heterocarpon showed strong antioxidant activity in the ABTS and DPPH assays. (4)
• Antimicrobial / Leaves: Study evaluated a methanolic leaf extract of DH for antimicrobial activity against various bacterial and fungal strains. Results showed very good antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi and excellent antifungal activity against all test fungal strains (A. niger, P. chrysogenum, S. cerevisiae, and Candida albicans). The antifungal activity showed more inhibition zone than standard drug ketoconazole. (5)
• Repellent / Insecticidal: Desmodium heterocarpon whole plant showed insecticidal activity against adult beetles of T. castaneum. (6)
• Antioxidative / Anti-Inflammatory: Study evaluated ethanol extract of D. heterocarpon for antoxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. The EE showed potent antioxidative activity by DPPH assay and induced expression of antioxidative enzyme heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in a dose-dependent manner. The EE also effectively suppressed H2O2-induced ROS on RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. The EE also inhibited LPS-induced NO formation as a consequence of iNOS down-regulation. (8)
• Cytotoxicity / Brine Shrimp Lethality / Leaves: Study evaluated the cytotoxicity of jiinjit leaves using Brine Shrimp Lethality Test. Results showed cytotoxic activity against Artemia salina Leach larvae with LC50 value <1000 µg/ml. (9)
• Tyrosinase Inhibitory / Stems and Roots: Tyrosinase is an important enzyme in the biosynthesis of melanin. Many skin-whitening agents from natural sources that inhibit tyrosinase activity have been identified. Study evaluated 114 samples from 54 Fabaceae plants for antityrosinase activity using a dopachrome method. Results showed D. heterocarpon stems and roots demonstrated the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity at 20 µg/mL (92.50%). Study isolated six compounds, of which 2,5-dihydro-xybenzoic acid demonstrated potential tyrosinase inhibitory effect with IC50 of 57.38 µg/mL. (see constituents above) (13)
• Hepatoprotective: Study evaluated the hepatoprotective property and underlying mechanisms of extracts of D. hetercarpon and extract fractions using a mouse model of acute liver damage (ALI) caused by CCl4. Results showed the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited significant hepatoprotective effects, largely attributed to its flavonoid-rich composition. Protective effects are mediated through antioxidant pathways, particularly Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. Results suggest a promising source of hepato-
protective agents. (15)
• Anti-Inflammatory / Analgesic / Antipyretic: Study evaluated a methanolic extract of whole plant for anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activity. Extract concentration-dependently inhibited protein denaturation, with highest % inhibition at 320 µg/mL. Crude extract exhibited significant analgesic effect in dose dependent manner in acetic acid induced writhing method. The extract showed statistically significant antipyretic effect at 200 mg/kbw, better than standard paracetamol at 100 mg/kbw. (see constituents above) (16)

Availability
Wild-crafted.