A woody vine or much-branched shrub, 1—3 m tall, with stout, marked zigzag twigs, young shoots greyish. Leaves oval to oblong-lanceolate, 3—8 cm x 1.2—3.5 cm, apex rounded, notched, midrib flattened above, firmly herbaceous, upper surface often with scattered minute warts, petiole 2—4(—7) mm long, hairy, thorns short, recurved, strong, 3—5 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, raceme-like (each pedicel in axil of small, caducous leaf); peduncle approximately 1 cm long, pedicels 1-approximately 2 cm long; flower with 4 overlapping, brown and green sepals, with hairs on margin but otherwise glabrous; 4 free whitish petals, outside glabrous, inside hairy basally; up to approximately 27 fertile stamens; some stamens very short, aborted; long glabrous gynophore; glabrous green ovary, small stigma. Berry globose or transversely oval, 1—1.5 cm in diameter, ivory-white or pale fleshy-coloured to dark violet; Seeds 1—2; seed about 6 mm.

Emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, alterative and tonic (plant)

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Used to suppress fever (plant); for pruritis (roots).

Alam MM, Anis M. Ethno-medicinal uses of plants growing in the Bulandshahr district of northern India. J Ethnopharmacol. 1987 Jan-Feb;19(1):85-8.