A semi-woody herbaceous perennial vine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1-2 m high. The leaves are 4-12 cm long, roughly arrowhead-shaped, and often lobed at the base. The flowers are in loose clusters of 3-20, (1-1.5 cm) across, star-shaped, with five purple petals and yellow stamens and style pointing forward. The fruit is an ovoid red berry about 1 cm long, soft and juicy, poisonous to humans and livestock but edible for birds, which disperse the seeds widely.

Alterative, anodyne, depurative, mildly diuretic, emetic, expectorant, hepatic, mildly narcotic and purgative (whole plant)

Plants for a Future
King's American Dispensatory
The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics

In the treatment of skin diseases, warts, tumours, felons, arthritis, rheumatism, bronchial congestion, heart ailments, ulcerative colitis, jaundice, skin eruptions, ulcers and cellulite, syphilitic diseases, cachectic affections, scrofula, indurations from milk, leucorrhoea, jaundice, and obstructed menstruation (herb); to cancerous sores and other swellings (fruit); for cancer and swellings (root)