Aristolochia tagala

Aristolochia tagala Chamisso, Linnaea. 7: 207. 1832.

(Aristolochia tagala Champ.; Photo Vinayaraj (commons.wikimedia.org) and Jennifer Nickolyn (pinterest.com))

Latin Name: Aristolochia tagala Champ.

Family & Genus: Aristolochiaceae, Aristolochia

Synoym Name: Aristolochia acuminata Lam.; Aristolochia angulosa Wall. ex Duch.; Aristolochia eschscholtzii Ledeb. ex Duchesne; Aristolochia roxburghiana Klotzsch; Aristolochia subsagittata Blanco

English Name: Ovalleaf Dutchmanspipe, Dutchman’s pipe, Indian birthwort.

Chinese Name: 耳叶马兜铃 er ye ma dou ling

Vietnamese Name: dây khố rách, phi hùng, Thiên tiên đằng, Phòng kỷ, Cuốp ma (Hmông)

Description: Herbs twining. Stems terete, slightly furrowed, glabrous. Petiole 2.5-4 cm, glabrous; leaf blade ovate-cordate or oblong-ovate, 8-12(-24) × 4-14(-22) cm, papery, both surfaces glabrous, veins palmate, 3-5 pairs from base, base deeply cordate, lateral lobes subrounded, sinus 1-3 cm deep, apex acute or acuminate. Racemes in axils of leafy shoots, 2- or 3-flowered, 2-6 cm. Pedicels ca. 1 cm, sparsely hairy, glabrescent; bractlets ovate-lanceolate, to ca. 8 mm. Calyx pale yellowish or greenish, throat dark purple, 4-6 cm; tube rectilinear or slightly curved; utricle globose, 5-8 mm in diam., with stipe 1-3 mm; tube 5-10 × 2-3 mm; limb ligulate, oblong, 2-3 × 0.5-0.6 cm, apex obtuse. Anthers ovoid, ca. 1 mm. Gynostemium 6-lobed. Capsule obovoid-globose to ovoid-cylindric, 3.5-5 × 2-3.5 cm, dehiscing acropetally. Seeds triangular to subcordiform, ca. 8 × 8 mm. Flowering: May to August. Fruiting: October to December.

Distribution: Growing in broadleaf forests, and forest edges. Distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Maoming, Lingshui and Chengmai of Guangdong, Fangcheng and Wuming of Guangxi, Jinghong, Gengma and Jingdong of Yunnan.

Part Used: Medical part: root. Chinese name: Heimianfangji.

Harvest & Processing: Excavated in autumn, well washed, sliced, sundried.

Chemistry: Contains aristolochic acid A, magnoflorine, 4, 7-dimethyl-6-methoxy-1-tetralone and volatile oils.

Aristolochic acid I, Caffeoylquinic acid, 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

Properties & Actions: Bitter, pungent, cold. Clearing heat, detoxifying, removing wind, relieving pain, inducing urination and dispersing swelling.

Indications & Usage: Anthracia and furunculosis, scrofula, rheumatic joint pain, gastralgia, damp and pyretic stranguria, edema, dysentery, hepatitis, snake bites. Internal: decocting, 6-15g; powdered, 0.3-1.5g per time, 2-3 times per day. External: appropriate amount, powdered and scattered, or triturated for application.

Examples       

1. Various pains: grind black face four-stamen stephania into powder, 0.3-1.5g each time, 1-3 times a day; or smear an appropriate amount onto lesions.

2. Malaria: black face four-stamen stephania 9-15g, decoct in water and swallow.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- Khetbadei Lysinia Hynniewta Hadem, Arnab Sen; Identification of compounds of Aristolochia tagala and apoptotic activity in HeLa cells; Pharmacognosy Magazine, 2018, Volume 14,  Issue 59, Page 571-577