48. Cissampelos pareira, Linn.

The medicinal plant Cissampelos pareira is a member of the Menispermaceae (moonseed) family. This page includes its habitat, botanical descption, medicinal uses (eg., Ayurveda), chemical constituents and history of use in modern and ancient India.

Index in Flora of British India (Hooker): 1. 103.

Sanskrit:—Laghu Paṭha; Ambashtha, Brihattikta (very pungent) , Prachinambastika (Eastern Ambastika), Rasa (juicy), Varatikta (very pungent), Papanelil (creeper of sin), Sreysi (auspicious), Vridhakarnika (long-eared).

Vernacular:—Kardhiyun-bang (Poreb) Akanadi; dakh, nirbisi, pari harjeuri (H.); Akanadi, nemuka (B.; Tejo mulla (Santal); Batulpoti (Nepal); Katori, tikri, parbik, pataki, bat bel, Zakhmi baiyat, batindu path (leaves) pilijari, pilajur (root) (Pb.); Nirbisi (root) (Dek.); Venivel (Guj and Bomb.); Parayel (Goa); Po-mushtie, pun-mushtie; Pahadvel, pahadmul (Bomb.); Vata tirupie (Tam.); Pata (Tel.). Padavali (Kan.). (Pari kuman), Pahre (Dun). Diya-mitta (Sinhalese).

Habitat:—Tropical and sub-tropical India, from Sindh and the Pan jab to Ceylon, up to 4,000 ft. In India ascending up to 6,000 ft. Cosmopolitan, common in the valleys of Simla and Dun.

Botanical description:—A climbing, softly pubescent shrub. A lofty climber (Hk. and Th.), with herbaceous or slender woody branches, on a very short stout stem. Trimen says it is a woody twiner, usually of small size, with straggling branches, long shoots pubescent or tomentose.

Wood: brown, divided by very broad medullary rays and regular concentric bands of similar texture into small rectangular divisions, each with two to eight small to very large pores.

Stem: the stem yields strong fibres, which are made into ropes.

Leaves: orbicular or broadly ovate, 1-4 in. across, peltate or cordate, obtuse and mucronate, rarely acute; base sometimes truncate.

Petiole: equalling the leaf, or longer.

Flowers: greenish-yellow, small.

Male-flowers: on stalked branched cymes, clustered in leaf-axils, or borne on long axillary raceme-like shoots, each cyme in the axil of a small leaf-like bract.

Sepals: 4, hairy, ovate, spreading.

Petals: united into a shallow 4-lobed cup.

Stamens: 4, filaments united into a very short column, top dilated, peltate; anthers sessile round the margin.

Female flowers: clustered in axils of orbicular bracts crowded on long solitary racemes. Sepal one, pubescent, broadly ovate. Petal one, opposite the sepal, similar, but smaller and deeply lobed; ovary 1, hairy, style shortly 3-fid.

Drupe: hairy, globose scarlet, ⅙ inch diam.

Endocarp: transversely ridged and tuberculate. Seed horse-shoe-shaped.

Parts used:—The root, bark and leaves.

Medicinal uses:—Sanskrit writers consider the root to be light, bitter, astringent and useful in fever, diarrhoea, urinary diseases, dyspepsia, etc.

Ainslie writes:—“The leaves of this plant are considered by the Vytians as of a peculiarly cooling quality, but the root is the part most esteemed; it has an agreeable, bitterish taste, and is considered as a valuable stomachic. It is frequently prescribed in the later stages of the bowel complaints, in conjunction with aromatics.” It is reported to be antilithic (Dymock).

“Used locally in cases of unhealthy sores and sinuses. Root given for pains in the stomach and for dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dropsy and cough; also for prolapsus uteri,—and applied externally in snake bite and scorpion sting.” (Watt.)

It is officinal in the Pharmacopoeia of India, where its medicinal properties are described as “mild tonic and diuretic exercising apparently an astringent and sedative action on the mucous membranes of the genito-urinary organs”.