A perennial dioecious creeper. Stems semi-woody, climbing by short, adventitious roots; leaves 5-20 cm long, broadly ovate, slightly cordate and often unequal at the base, shortly acuminate, acute, entire, with often an undulate margin, glabrous, yellowish or bright green, shining on both sides; petiole stout, 2.0-2.5 cm long; male spikes dense, cylindrical; female spikes 2.5-5.0 cm long, pendulous; fruits rarely produced, often sunk in the fleshy spike, forming nodule-like structures.

Carminative, stimulant, antibacterial and inhibits tumor growth (leaf); anthelmintic, respiratory and cardiac depressant, alleviates spasms and antiseptic (essential oil); contraceptive (root); aphrodisiac and astringent.

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Hentriacontane, beta and gamma-sitosterols, pentatriacontane and chavicol (leaf); eugenol, carvacrol, allyl catechol, cadinine, tannins, chavibetol and arakene.

Increasing the secretion of gastric juices (leaf); alleviating spasms and as an antiseptic (essential oil); abscesses, sores and cuts, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, catarrh, colic, cough, diphtheria, dysentery, earache and nose.

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.