A tall semiwoody perennial shrub or tree with big palmately compound leaves. The dark green leaves are a foot or more across and have 5-9 lobes. The petioles (leaf stems) are very long, up to 24 in (61 cm) long and they are red as are the stems. The tuberous edible roots are 8-30 in (20-76 cm) long and 1-3 in (2.5-7.6 cm) in diameter.

Antiseptic, aperient, cyanogenic, demulcent, diuretic, hemostat (tuber)

James A Duke and Maryl Fulton. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs - 2nd Edition, P: 724, CRC Press July 2002.

Arginine, aspartic acid, beta-carotene, calcium oxalate, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lauric acid, leucine, linoleic acid, lysine, methionine, oleic acid, oxalic acid, palmitic acid, phenylalanine, stearic acid, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine (root); ascorbic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin (leaves)

The starchy tuber has been indicated in treating abscess, angina, arthrosis, ascariasis, ascites, bleeding, boils, chill, condyloma, conjunctivosis, dermatosis, diarrhea, dysentery, eczema, erysipelas, fever, flu, hernia, hepatosis, infertility, inflammation, insomnia, marasmus, mastosis, myosis, nervousness, neuralgia, ophthalmia, orchosis, pain, prostatosis, rheumatism, scabies, sores, snakebite, spasms, sycosis, toothache, tumor, water retention and whitlows. Compress of powdered leaves are used for fevers and headaches.