Stephania glabra
(Roxb.) Miers
Wikimedia Commons - Dinesh Valke from Thane, India
Wikimedia Commons - Dinesh Valke from Thane, India
What to Eat
Edible parts: Tuber, Root, Probably also medicine.
The tubers and roots are eaten.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical and temperate plant. It grows in upland fields in Thailand. It grows in the Himalayas between 1,600-1,900 m above sea level.
Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Thailand, Tibet,
How to Identify
A vine. It has a tuberous rootstock. The tubers can weigh 30 kg. The stems are hollow and have lines along them. The leaf stalk is slender and 5-15 cm long. The leaves are round and the leaf stalk joins away from the edge of the leaf. The leaves are 6-12 cm wide. The male flowers are in the axils of leaves on stalks 4-8 cm long. The female flowers are more condensed. The fruit are oval and 6 mm long.
How to Grow
Seedlings are transplanted.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used medicinally.
Other Uses
The large root has a very bitter taste. This has led to it being used to make a container for lime which is being used with betel as a masticatory.
Notes
It contains alkaloids.
Names & Synonyms
Khabukka, Maa noi, Purha, Thun newe, Thaya nuya
References (3)
- Price, L. L., 1997, Wild Plant Food in Agricultural Environments: A Study of Occurrence, management and gathering Rights in Northeast Thailand. Human Organization. 56(2)
- Wild edible plants of Himachal Pradesh
- Yeshi, K. et al, 2017, Taxonomical Identification of Himalayan Edible Medicinal Plants in Bhutan and the Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Plants. TBAP 7 (2) 2017 pp 89 - 106
