Cyclea barbata

Miers

Cincau leaves

MenispermaceaeLeavesRoots

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(c) Young Chan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Young Chan

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(c) Yj, some rights reserved (CC BY)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves, Root

The leaves are used in Java to prepare a jelly called 'cincau' or 'cincau hijau' (green cincau), which is used as a refreshment and as a medicine against stomach complaints. The leaves are crushed in water and the mixture left to set. It is usually eaten with a sweet syrup. To make a good quality jelly only young well-developed leaves should be used. The shelf-life of the jelly at ambient temperature is around 1 - 2 days..

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests and in shrubland. It grows up to 1,100 m above sea level.

Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A slender climber or vine. It grows 5 m high. The roots are fleshy. The leaves are oval to triangle shaped. The leaf stalk joins the blade away from the edge. The leaves are 4-10 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. The fruit are fleshy and red.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Medicinal Uses

A decoction made of the roots is used in local medicine against fever. The very bitter taste is due to the alkaloid 'cycleine'. The roots have a high content of starch and around 10% fat. The leaves are used in Java to prepare a jelly called 'cincau' or 'cincau hijau' (green cincau), which is used as a refreshment and also as a medicine against stomach complaints.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Cyclea barbata is a species of flowering plants that was commonly used as a medicinal plant in Java. It is also used to produce Indonesian typical green grass jelly.

Names & Synonyms

Cincau rambat, Mo noy, Sam nam, Vor phraskrong

Cyclea wallichii Diels

References (7)

Delang, C. O., 2007, Ecological Succession of Usable Plants in an Eleven-Year Fallow Cycle in North Lao P.D.R., Ethnobotany Research and Applications. Vol. 5:331-350
Forman, 1984, Menispermaceae, Flora Malesiana Series 1 Vol 10 p 242
Luczaj, L., et al, 2021, Wild food plants and fungi sold in the markets of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2021) 17:6
Sang, D. T., & Mizoue, K. O. N., 2012, Use of Edible Forest Plants among Indigenous Ethnic Minorities in Cat Tien Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam. Asian Journal of Biodiversity Vol. 3 (1), p 23-49
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 916
Turreira Garcia, N., et al, 2017, Ethnobotanical knowledgeof the Kuy and Khmer people in Prey Lang, Cambodia. Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2017 (1): 76-101
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew