Common Name:

General Information

Tetracera scandens is an evergreen shrub. It varies in habit from a small shrub growing only 2 metres tall in areas of open vegetation to a woody climbing plant producing stems up to 30 metres long in thickets and forests[]. The main stems can be up to 16cm in diameter[].
The leaves are harvested from the wild and used locally as a sandpaper, whilst the plant also has a range of local medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Habitat

A creeper or climber in thickets and secondary forests, especially on riverbanks and near the seacoast; in more open vegetation forming small shrubs. Found at elevations from sea-level up to 1,000 metres, but rarely above 500 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of dysentery[]. The pounded young leaves are added to water and drunk as a medication for diarrhoea[].
A decoction of the leaves is applied externally to boils[, ]. The finely crushed young shoots are made into a poultice and put on bites of poisonous snakes[].

The entire plant is considered medicinal. It is used as a diuretic, and in a mixture to treat blennorrhoea, and oedema of hepatic and renal origin[]. A decoction of the plant is administered after childbirth[].

The stem is antitussive, astringent and diuretic[]. An infusion is drunk as a treatment against haemoptysis in tuberculosis[]. The sap of the stem is drunk as a cough medicine[]. The stem is used, in combination with other plants, to treat oedemas of hepatic and renal origin[].
The stem infusion is used as a gargle against thrush[].
Externally the infusion is applied to a sore throat, the action being due to the large amount of tannin it contains[].

The root is used as an astringent in diarrhoea and is a traditional ingredient in a mixture against burns[].
The roots are ground and the juice applied to mouth ulcers[].

In combination with other plants, an infusion is drunk as a febrifuge, a tonic or a depurative[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used as a sandpaper for smoothing wood and for polishing metalwork[]. Due to their harshness, the leaves are employed to polish small articles[]. They are also used for scouring pans, plates etc[].

The flexible and tough young stem may serve as rough cordage[]. Heated and twisted the stems may serve as bindings, and are considered durable[].

Propagation

Seed -

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