A scandent and generally climbing or occasionally suberect or erect, dioecious or rarely monoecious, evergreen shrub; branchlets, leaf rachises and midribs generally with scattered and retrorse prickles. Leaves alternate, imparipinnate, 5—40 cm long, leaflets opposite, (3—)5—9, ovate to elliptical, (1.3—)5—12(—16) cm x (0.7—)2.5—6(—8) cm, with or without pellucid dots, margin entire to glandular crenate. Inflorescence axillary or axillary and terminal, racemose to paniculate, up to 15 cm x 7 cm; flowers up to 5 mm long, 4-merous, sepals 4, petals 4, white to pale yellow or rarely reddish; male flowers with 4 stamens, rudimentary carpels 2 or 4; female flowers with ovary 4-carpellate. Follicle subglobose, 5—7 mm in diameter, single or up to 4 together.

Antirheumatic (plant); anodyne, antiphlogistic, carminative, depurative, sudorific, febrifuge and emmenagogue (root); astringent, anthelmintic, carminative, diaphoretic, stimulant, antipyretic and stomachic (decoction or powder of fruits); cooling, disinfectant, and bechic (decoction of leafy branches); powerfully stimulant and tonic (resin of root bark).

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

Employed for treating toothache by inserting it into a hollow tooth (bark); used in toothache, stomach-ache and against boils, and as a decoction or alcoholic maceration for fevers and rheumatism (root); to treat catarrh, uterine haemorrhage, rheumatism and lumbago and for toothache (decoction or powder of fruits); gargled for inflammation of the throat (decoction of leafy branches).