Description

Yellow vine as it is sometimes referred to in English, is a flowering woody climber, native to South Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia. It is rare and critically endangered in many of its habitats. Coscinium fenestratum is a member of the family Menispermaceae and the genus Coscinium. The plant is known by many different names, such as: Tree turmeric, False calumba, Colombo weed, Weniwel, Daru Haridra (in Sanskrit), Mara Manjal (in Tamil and Malayalam), Haem herb (in Thai), Voer Romiet (in Khmer), etc.

Features:

It is a climbing shrub. Young shoots are hairy-tomentose. Leaves are oblong deltoid, obscurely peltate, acuminate, glabrous above, hairy and reticulate beneath. Petiole is long. Plant is listed as endangered species in India. It is a dioecious plant and comes to bloom from August to October. Flowers are green, borne in dense globose heads. Sepals are 6 in number with a bract, orbicular persistent. Petals are 3 in number, large, spreading and elliptic. Fruit is a drupe globose, villous and bony endocarp. Seed is globose.

Medicinal Uses:

The root is considered to be a bitter tonic and stomachic. It is said that the effects of intoxication can be avoided if the roots are chewed and the juices swallowed before drinking. A decoction of the stem and leaves is used medicinally. It has been known in Europe as False calumba, being a substitute for Calumba (Jateorhiza). The plant has alleged antiseptic properties and is used to dress wounds and ulcers. The leaves contain picrotoxin-like bitter substances and the alkaloids palmatine, berberine and jatrorrhizine.