A dioecious, perennial vine, stem angular, sparsely puberulous to glabrescent. Leaves broadly ovate to suborbicular in outline, unlobed to deeply 3-5-lobed, 7-15 cm x 6-15 cm, base deeply cordate, lobes ovate to obovate, obtuse to acute, mucronate, denticulate, scabrid above, densely pubescent to velvety below. Flowers monoecious; corolla up to 5 cm in diameter; male flowers in 6-20 cm long racemes, bracts narrowly obovate, 5-10 mm long, dentate; female flowers solitary. Fruit ovoid to ellipsoidal, 8-10 cm x 2.5-3 cm, glabrous. Seeds broadly ovate, cylindrical.

Aanodyne, antiphlogistic, blood purifier, depurative, febrifuge, resolvent, diuretic and galactagogue (root); vermifuge (seed); bechic and expectorant (roots and seeds).

Plants For A Future
PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation

Considered as a good remedy for intestinal parasites, jaundice and bloody stools, and used as a poultice or made into a decoction to treat abscesses, boils, fevers, sore throats etc. (root); applied to soothe the throat and lungs and to prevent inflammation and taken internally to quench thirst (roots and seeds); used to treat coughs, diabetes, jaundice etc. (fruits).