Cissampelos Explained

Cissampelos is a genus of flowering plants in the family Menispermaceae. Various species of this genus have a history of use in various traditions of herbal medicine. Moreover, many of these plants were used as curare applied as arrow poison during hunting.^[1]

Cissampelos pareira is used in Chinese herbology. The species is also known as abuta in Ayurvedic medicine. The Maasai people of Kenya use Cissampelos mucronata as a forage for their cattle.^[2]

Selected species

21 accepted species + 1 newly discovered species

• Cissampelos andromorpha DC.
• Cissampelos arenicola Ortiz RdC, MH Nee. 2014 New species^[3]
• Cissampelos capensis L.f.
• Cissampelos fasciculata Benth.
• Cissampelos friesiorum Diels
• Cissampelos glaberrima A.St.-Hil.
• Cissampelos grandifolia Triana & Planch.
• Cissampelos hirta Klotzsch
• Cissampelos hispida Forman
• Cissampelos laxiflora Moldenke
• Cissampelos mucronata A.Rich.
• Cissampelos nepalensis Rhodes
• Cissampelos nigrescens Diels
• Cissampelos ovalifolia DC.
• Cissampelos owariensis P.Beauv. ex DC.
• Cissampelos pareira L.
• Cissampelos rigidifolia (Engl.) Diels
• Cissampelos sympodialis Eichler
• Cissampelos tenuipes Engl.
• Cissampelos torulosa E.Mey. ex Harv. & Sond.
• Cissampelos tropaeolifolia DC.
• Cissampelos verticillata Rhodes

External links

• http://www.africamuseum.be/collections/external/prelude/view_symptom?si=H(178)
• https://web.archive.org/web/20131105201226/http://www.africamuseum.be/prelude/prelude_pic/Cissampelos_mucronata2.jpg - plant image

Notes and References

1. 24997389 . 10.1016/j.jep.2014.06.054 . 155 . 2 . From arrow poison to herbal medicine--the ethnobotanical, phytochemical and pharmacological significance of Cissampelos (Menispermaceae) . J Ethnopharmacol . 1011–28 . Semwal . DK . Semwal . RB . Vermaak . I . Viljoen . A. 2014 .
2. Bussmann . R. W. . 2006 . Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya . 1475560 . 10.1186/1746-4269-2-22 . 16674830. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed . 2 . 22 . Gilbreath . Genevieve G . Solio . John . Lutura . Manja . Lutuluo . Rumpac . Kunguru . Kimaren . Wood . Nick . Mathenge . Simon G . free .
3. http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-new-species-sand-dwelling-plant-bolivia-paraguay-01974.html New Species of Sand-Dwelling Plant Discovered in Bolivia, Paraguay