Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour. (= T. palmata Roxb.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 61

Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour. (= T. palmata Roxb.)

Names.

Myanmar: kyee-arh pin. English: creeper.

Range.

Eastern Himalayas, India, east to China, Japan, Malaysia, tropical Australia. Found growing naturally all over Myanmar, except in cold areas.

Uses.

Fruit: Known for its bitter and slightly sweet taste, can be harmful to the heart. A mixture of crushed fruits boiled with coconut oil is used as an eardrop and nasal drop preparation. The juice stimulates bowel movements. Crushed dried fruits are mixed in smoking cheroots and pipes with tobacco to treat asthma. The fruit is also used for throat problems, indigestion, coughing, and leprosy, as well as chronic and gastric diseases. Root: Ground to form a paste rubbed onto the tongue to reduce phlegm. Tubers boiled and taken with honey for urinary disorders.

Notes.

In Indo-China the species is used as a strong purgative and emetic; on the Malay Peninsula the leaves are used to poultice boils; in Indonesia the leaves are one ingredient in a group of fresh plant parts from which the juice is extracted and used for medicines, the leaf juice is also drunk by children to treat diarrhea ( Perry 1980). The medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).