Common Name: Woolly Morning Glory

General Information

Argyreia nervosa is a very attractive climbing shrub with showy flowers and heart-shaped, silver-backed leaves[]. It can produce stems up to 10 metres long[].
Gathered from the wild for its use in traditional medicine, the plant is also widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the tropics[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Indian subcontinent.

Habitat

Climbing into trees and shrubs in jungles and forested ravines[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in moist tropical and subtropical regions[]. The plant has been known to thrive in drier monsoon areas as well as in the wet tropics[].
Tolerant of a range of soil conditions[], it prefers a moderately fertile, well-drained soil and a position in full sun[]. Young plants are somewhat shade tolerant[].
The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in many areas[]. It is recorded as being invasive in areas such as northern Australia and some Pacific Islands[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The roots and the seeds are used in traditional Ayurvedic herbal medicine in India[]. The plant is considered to be alterative, aphrodisiac, antiphlogistic, antiseptic, emollient and tonic[].
The seeds have been shown to contain a number of alkaloids[].

The root is often used in the form of a powder. It is used internally as an alterative in the treatment of a range of conditions[].
Externally, a paste of the roots is used as a poultice on rheumatic joints, boils, scorpion stings etc, and is rubbed over the body to reduce obesity[, ].

The leaves are antiphlogistic, emollient[, ].They are used as poultices on skin diseases and wounds[, ]. The silky side of the leaf is applied to tumours, boils, sores and carbuncles[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Softwood cuttings.

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