Common Name:

General Information

Deeringia amaranthoides is a shrub producing long branches that can be pendulous, scandent or clambering over other plants. The stems are usually 2 - 6 metres long, exceptionally to 15 metres[].
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is also occasionally planted in hedges to provide material for medicinal use[]. The plant is occasionally found for sale as a medicinal plant in local markets[].

Known Hazards

The plant is thought to be poisonous in some regions where it grows[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia

Habitat

Hillsides, at elevations of 100 - 2,200 metres in southern China[]. Teak forest, open mixed forest, secondary forest and their borders, tall brushwood, hedges, mainly in somewhat drier regions, often on calcareous soils, sea-level to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil[].
Plants are tolerant of heavy pruning, and are able to regrow from old wood[].
The plant can flower and produce fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Young leafy shoots - cooked with rice[]. They are normally mixed with other vegetables because of their rather unpleasant taste[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the leaves is considered a cure for dysentery[]. An infusion is given to children for treating chicken pox[].
Used externally, the leaves are applied to sores, inflammatory tumours, and are placed as a poultice on the stomach to treat stomach-ache and on the forehead to treat fevers and headache[].

The powder of the root is inhaled to cause violent sneezing[]. It is drawn into the nostrils, together with vinegar and onion juice, to get rid of mucous obstructions and the headache caused by the obstruction[].

Several complex triterpenoid saponins and several triterpene glycosides of olean-12-en-28-oate have been isolated from the fruits[].
The leaves probably also contain a considerable amount of alkaloids (without further specification)[].
In older literature, the plant is reported to possess anticancer and spermicidal activity[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sown fresh, it can germinate within 4 weeks[].
Cuttings produce roots easily[].

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