Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps (= Quisqualis indica L.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 48

Combretum indicum (L.) DeFilipps (= Quisqualis indica L.)

Names.

Myanmar: dawe-hmaing-nwe, tanah-pacow-kawaing angine (Mon), mawk nang-nang, nang-mu (Shan). English: Chinese honeysuckle, Rangoon creeper.

Range.

Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Grows naturally in the hot and humid areas of Myanmar.

Uses.

Leaf: Effective against dysentery. Utilized in the treatment of diabetes; lightly boiled in water, eaten in a salad to quickly alleviate dysentery with mucus or blood. Liquid from boiling leaves is taken to relieve indigestion and shooting pains. Seed: Two or three are crushed and taken with honey for deworming. They are also eaten as a remedy for severe illness accompanied by diarrhea.

Notes.

In China the fruit is primarily used as a vermifuge; also for abdominal distention, dyspepsia, and marasmus, leucorrhea; macerated in oil, it is applied to skin ailments due to parasites; the ripe seed is roasted and used to treat diarrhea and fever ( Duke and Ayensu 1985). In India the seed is used as an anthelmintic ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). Dagar and Singh (1999) describe indigenous medicinal uses of this species in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India).

Extracts show antitumor and cathartic activity ( Duke and Ayensu 1985).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980).