A very variable species, detailed investigation might lead to this species being divided up into several taxa[].

Common Name:

General Information

Marsdenia tinctoria is a climbing plant, growing up to 5 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild as a source of a blue dye. The plant is also sometimes cultivated as a dye plant in southeast Asia[, ], though the advent of synthetic dyes has greatly reduced the incidence of its cultivation. It was formerly especially grown in places where heavy rainfall prevented indigo from being grown successfully[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Humid mixed woods at elevations of 400 - 1,000 metres in S. China[]. Climbing on trees or over rocks in primary and secondary forests at low and medium elevations. Also in thickets and on open ground, possibly as remnants of former cultivation[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A plant of subtropical to tropical lowland areas.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The alcoholic extract of the plant, and its alkaloidal fraction, show oxytocic action on sensitized uterine horns in rats[]. Several triterpenes have been isolated[].

The leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat intestinal disorders[].
They are rubbed into the scalp to stimulate hair growth[].

An extract of the plant is used to induce abortion[].

Other Uses

The bark, leaves, and flowers are used in making a blue dye[].
The leaves are used for dyeing textiles blue in the same way as indigo (Indigofera spp.), and for dyeing hair black[].
The glucoside indican is thought to be present in the leaves, just as in indigo, but this is not certain, because no chemical analyses of the dyeing substances are available[].

A fibre is obtained from the bark[].

Propagation

Seed -

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