Description

Indian Birthwort (Scientific name: Aristolochia indica) is a creeper plant found in Southern India and also Sri Lanka. This plant is critical to the survival of the southern birdwing and common birdwing, as well as crimson and common rose butterflies. It reaches a height of several metres on trees and cover the branches with thick foliage. It is commonly found in forest floor, rocky hillslopes. It flowers once a year to produce seeds. It can also be propagated by roots. The plant has a number of historical medicinal uses.

Characteristics:

Indian Birthwort is a twining perennial herb, with branchlets slender. Leaves are 3.5-8 x 2-3.5 cm, ovate-lanceshaped or ovate-oblong, base flat, tip pointed to tapering, hairless; 3-5-nerved at base; leaf-stalk up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers are borne in few-flowered racemes in leaf-axils. Flower-stalks are about 7 mm long, elongate in fruits. Bracts are about 1.5 mm long, lanceshaped. Flower tube is dull brown, 1-1.5 cm long, bulbous base 3-5 mm across, green; limb 2-2.5 cm long, linear-oblong, rounded at tip, greyish-green. Stamens 6. Ovary is about 2 mm long; stigmas 6, fleshy. Capsule is 1.5-3 x 1.5-2 cm, spherical-pear-shaped, 6-ridged, splitting from the base, parachute-like after splitting. Seeds are 4-6 mm across, broadly deltoid, flat, winged. Indian Birthwort is found in Indo-Malesia. In India it is seen in Peninsular India.

Medicinal Uses:

Roots and rhizome are used as gastric stimulant and bitter tonic. Aristolochic acid is used for stimulating phagocytosis in infectious diseases in combination with antibiotics. Juice of leaves are used in cough and seeds in inflammation and biliousness.