A large, woody, evergreen climber, with branches hanging down in festoons; bark dark grey with vertical cracks exposing the vermillion inner bark surface; young branches grey-pubescent, older dark grey, glabrous. Leaves alternate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-ovate to orbicular, pubescent beneath when young, base generally rounded, apex acute or sub-acuminate, margins entire or crenate; lateral nerves 4 to 8 pairs, ascending and converging near the margin; Inflorescences axillary and terminal panicles, minutely grey-pubescent, occasionally with leafy bracts. Flowers numerous 3 to 5 mm across, yellowish-green, with an offensive odour. Fruit a subglobose nut 5 to 7 mm in diameter, yellow to grey, enclosed in a persistent calyx rim to about the middle and prolonged into a linear pubescent wing; seed globose, thin-walled, brown.

Carminative, stomachic, tonic and stimulant (root bark) and antiallergic (plant).

AgroForestryTree Database

Nepthaquinones and derivates of nepthalene (root bark); anthraquinones (root bark and root); chrysophanol (root).

As a tonic, atonic indigestion, increasing the secretion of gastric juices and as a carminative (root bark); useful in atonic dyspepsia, debility and fevers. Oil is used locally for itch and skin eruptions.

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