Common Name:

General Information

Dregea volubilis is a climbing plant with twining, woody stems that can be up to 12 metres tall[].
The plant is a commonly used medicinal herb in India, and is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre. It is sometimes cultivated as a food crop[], and the leaves are a popular green vegetable in Sri Lanka, where they are often sold in local markets[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Montane forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Dregea volubilis is found from the subtropical to tropical regions of southern Asia, groing in both areas of high and low rainfall[].
Requires a moist, well-drained soil in full sun[].

Edible Uses

Young shoots and leaves - raw or cooked[, ]. Eaten in salads and curries[, , ].

The rind of the unripe fruit is used as a vegetable in traditional Indian cuisine[].

Flowers - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[, ].

Medicinal

Dregea volubilis has been used in traditional and Ayurvedic systems of medicine for healing a range of diseases. It is considered to be alterative, refrigerant, sternutatory and tonic, and is extensively prescribed to treat conditions such as eye ailments, general debility, tumors, asthma, stress-related disorders, inflammatory and painful conditions, skin diseases and haemorrhoids[, , , ].

The whole plant is used in the treatment of general debility[].

A paste made from the leaves is combined with pepper and used to treat dyspepsia[]. The leaf paste is also used to treat rheumatic pain, cough, fever and severe cold[]. The young leaves are used in the treatment of pyodermas and fevers in children[].
The leaves are used externally in the treatment of eye infections and as an application to boils and abscesses, where it promotes suppuration[, ]

The roots and tender stalks are considered to be diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic and expectorant[, ]
A paste made from the roots is applied to snake bites and given to women to cure headache after child birth[].

A paste made from the bark, combined with hot milk, is drunk as a treatment for urinary infections[].

The plant is an important source of many therapeutically and pharmacologically active medicinally potent biochemical constituents[]
A chloroform extract of the leaves has been shown to possess good anti oxidant and anti bacterial activity[]
An ethanol extract of the leaves has shown significant antimicrobial and in-vitro antioxidant activity compared with standard drugs[].
A methanolic extract of the leaves has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory activity[].
An alcohol extract of the leaves has been shown to combat stress induced amnesia and lends some credence to traditional claims of its therapeutic benefits in stress and stress-related disorders[]
It has been reported that the ethyl alcohol (50%) extract of the plant has activity on the central nervous system as well as anti-cancer activity. The reported maximum tolerated dose being 500 mg/kg body weight[].
The non-polar portion of the fruit extract of the plant contains a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound, taraxerone. The compound demonstrated anti-leishmanial and anti-tumour activities[]
The fruit contains different secondary metabolites viz., Anthocyanidins (Delphinidin, Petunidin), Flavonoids (Rutin, Myricetin, Quercetin, Luteolin, Apigenin, Orientin, unidentified flavonoid), Phenolic compounds (iso-chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, Gentisic acid, β-Resorcyclic acid, cis-p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, cinnamic acid. Results of phytochemical evaluation revealed the presence of alkaloids, Terpenoids, Steroids, Coumarins, Tannins, Proteins, Phenolic compounds, Carbohydrates, Glycosides, Starch, Phytosterol, Lipids, Aminoacids, Lignins[]

Other Uses

A fine fiber is obtained from the stems[, ].
The stem is used as a cordage substitute for binding bundles of wood[].

A methanol extraction of the leaf powder has been shown to be a potent larvicide in mosquito control programmes. The extract from the plant could be used in stagnant water bodies which are known to be the breeding grounds for mosquitoes[].

Propagation

Seed -

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