Tinospora cordifolia
(Willd.) Hook.f. & Thomson
Menispermaceae
Menispermum cordifolium Willd.
Tinospora fosbergii Kundu
Common Name: Kanda Amrta
Leaves
Photograph by: Tmd
Public domain
Leaves
Photograph by: Tmd
Public domain
Twining stem
Photograph by: Vinayaraj
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Plant scrambling over the ground
Photograph by: Gilroy
Public domain
Kept the angels eternally young.
Photograph by: Jayesh Pail
General Information
Tinospora cordifolia is a large, deciduous, climbing shrub, twining around other plants for support. It is capable of growing to the tops of tall trees and sending down long, thread-like aerial roots several metres in length that root when they touch the ground[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
].
The plant has a long tradition of use in Ayurvedic medicine, usually gathered from the wild. It is widely available for sale in local markets, herbal stores etc[
615- Title
- Pharmacographia Indica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Dymock W.; Warden C.J.H.; Hooper D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Education Society's Press, Byculla; Mombai.
- Year
- 1890
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Information on the principal plant medicines encountered in India in the 19th century.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
Range
E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar.
Habitat
Dry districts at low elevations[
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Deciduous and dry forests.
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Deciduous Climber |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.
Edible Uses
Leaves - used as a tonic tea[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Medicinal
The stem, root and whole plant are alterative, antidote, aphrodisiac, diuretic, febrifuge and tonic[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
,
304- Title
- Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kapoor. L. D.
- Publisher
- CRC Press, Florida.
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-8493-2929-9
- Description
- A very detailed book on some of the key Ayurvedic herbs, giving both technical and non-technical information on each plant. The whole is very well referenced.
]. The starch obtained from the stem and root of the plant is nutrient and is useful in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[
304- Title
- Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kapoor. L. D.
- Publisher
- CRC Press, Florida.
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-8493-2929-9
- Description
- A very detailed book on some of the key Ayurvedic herbs, giving both technical and non-technical information on each plant. The whole is very well referenced.
]. The fresh plant is more effective than the dried[
304- Title
- Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kapoor. L. D.
- Publisher
- CRC Press, Florida.
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-8493-2929-9
- Description
- A very detailed book on some of the key Ayurvedic herbs, giving both technical and non-technical information on each plant. The whole is very well referenced.
]. A watery extract, known as 'Indian Quinine' is a very effective treatment for fevers due to cold or indigestion[
304- Title
- Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kapoor. L. D.
- Publisher
- CRC Press, Florida.
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-8493-2929-9
- Description
- A very detailed book on some of the key Ayurvedic herbs, giving both technical and non-technical information on each plant. The whole is very well referenced.
]. The plant is also commonly used in a variety of other complaints including rheumatism, urinary disease, general debility, bronchitis and infertility[
304- Title
- Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kapoor. L. D.
- Publisher
- CRC Press, Florida.
- Year
- 2001
- ISBN
- 0-8493-2929-9
- Description
- A very detailed book on some of the key Ayurvedic herbs, giving both technical and non-technical information on each plant. The whole is very well referenced.
].
One of the ingredients of the Ayurvedic tonic formula Amrit Kalash[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
Agroforestry Uses:
Some species in this genus are the larval hosts of fruit-piercing noctuid moths that cause significant damage to crops
of Citrus (particularly Mandarins) and Dimocarpus longan (Longan) in Thailand[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Other Uses
The aerial roots are used as a tying material for tying bundles[
454- Title
- Useful Fiber Plants of the World
- Publication
-
- Author
- Dodge C.R.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- USDA; Washington.
- Year
- 1897
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
Cuttings - very easy, the plant naturally produces aerial roots in the wild.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
