Pergularia daemia
(Forskkal) Chiov.
Trellis vine
(c) Phil White, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Phil White
(c) Riana Fourie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Riana Fourie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Shoots, Stems, Flowers, Roots, Tubers, Vegetable, Fruit
Young hollow stems are cooked as a vegetable. Young leaves are cooked and eaten or added to soup as a potherb. Flower buds are used as a vegetable. Starchy roots are eaten. Small fruit are finely chopped and cooked as a vegetable.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in the scrub near the coast and in damp savannah and on the edges of forests. In southern Africa it grows from sea level to 1,200 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It can grow in coastal sands.
Afghanistan, Africa, Arabia, Asia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mali, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Socotra, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia,
How to Identify
A climber. It has milky sap. It has fine hairs. It grows up to 6 m high. The leaves are opposite. They have stalks 7 cm long. The leaf blades are heart shaped at the base. They are 10 cm long and 10 cm wide. The lobes at the base are rounded. The flowers are in loose irregular clusters at the sides of the plant. There are 2-30 flowers that hang down. The flowers are green or pink and bell shaped. There are long white woolly hairs along the edge. The flowers open at sundown. The fruit are 5-8 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. They taper to a short curved tip.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown by seed or cuttings.
Medicinal Uses
Pergularia daemia is a popular traditional medicine in Africa where numerous uses have been reported for all parts of the plant throughout its distribution area. In India it is extensively employed in treating the diseases of children. Modern research has shown the presence of a wide range of medically active compounds, especially glycosides. The plant is also toxic causing an immediate and sustained rise of carotid blood pressure when taken in excess. Complex effects on the respiratory system and intestinal movements are also present combined with a generally cardiotoxic effect upon the heart with marked depression of both auricles and ventricles, resulting in ventricular fibrillation and ultimate stoppage of the heart in diastole. Therefore any use of the plant should only be carried out under the guidance of a skilled practitioner. The glycosides have been shown to have a strong action on uterus contraction. A methanolic extract of the aerial parts has shown significant activity against Herpes simplex virus, influenza virus, rhinovirus, poliovirus and several other viruses. A leaf extract showed moderate antioxidant activity in vitro. An ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of the plant at an oral dose of 200 mg/kg exhibited a significant protective effect on the liver by lowering different blood serum levels. The extracts showed no signs of toxicity up to a dose level of 2000 mg/kg. An extract of aerial parts demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic activities. The leaves and young stems are considered aperitive, anthelmintic, expectorant, emetic and emmenagogue. Taken as infusions or decoctions, they are used to treat liver problems, fainting, diarrhoea, dysentery, colic, rheumatism, painful joints and limbs, cramps in the legs, malaria, appendicitis, amenorrhoea, venereal diseases and tachycardia arising from overexertion or fright. An enema of a leaf infusion is given to facilitate child-birth, as it stimulates muscle contraction and also arterial blood pressure. The crushed leaves, combined with Capsicum peppers, are given as an enema to treat tetanus. The crushed leaves, or sometimes the crushed young fruits, are applied externally to boils, abscesses, subcutaneous worm infections and eczema. The latex is applied to sore eyes and aching teeth, is used as a liniment to treat rheumatism, asthma and oedema, and to combat abscesses and snakebites and remove thorns from the skin. An infusion of the roots is taken against stomach-ache, colic and cough, and as an abortifacient. The roots may also simply be chewed to treat cough. A root decoction is taken to treat venereal diseases, arthritis, muscular pain, asthma and rheumatism. Powder from roasted roots or leaves is applied to wounds.
Other Uses
The stems yield a strong fibre, which is used in many places for making rope and fishing lines. The fibre is said to resist fire longer than other species. Pergularia daemia is a deep-rooted shrub traditionally preserved in fields in the semi-arid zones of Mali for its soil-improving properties. In a field test the grain weight, the head weight and the plant length of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) showed significant increase in the vicinity of the shrub.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Pergularia daemia, the trellis-vine, is a hispid, perennial vine in the family Asclepiadaceae, with an extensive range in the Old World tropics and subtropics. It has been used traditionally to treat a number of ailments. It is sometimes called atufa.
Notes
The leaves contain 5.6 mg/100 g of Vitamin C. Also put in the family Asclepiadaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Amaradudheli, Chagul bati, Dhudhilota, Dudhilata, Dushtupa tige, Erico, Etse-hreg, Fujani, Furana, Gurtichettu, Hacher, Hala koritige, Jittupaku, Juttapala teega, Juttuve balli, Jutuk, ka-Riaria, Karial, Korroda, Kutitany, Leshwe, Likotapeni, Mausi arxa, Mausi sag, Mothuhu, Mousi, Murahari, Nagaladudhi, Nandamani, Nhocane, Okuru, Phala kantaka, Pijee, Sagovani, Silai, Talayarana balli, Thalika, Trotu, Ujani, Umkotapeni, Utaran, Utarni, Utranajutuka, Uttaravaruni, Utthamani, Uturdi, Veliparatti, Veliparutti, Yugma
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