Department of Life Science.
Regional Institute of Education, Bhubneshwar
Odisha is rich in medicinal plants, among them Passiflora foetida is a medicinal plant has great medicinal value. It belongs to family Passifloraceae.
Origin: South America, natural population has been observed in the costal, mountain ranges in the state of Parana, Brazil (G.P.Markin pers.comm. 1993).
Distribution: Tropic in Southeast Asia, Pacific region, Central America and Africa.
Botany: A perennial vine, hispid stem with tendril and covered with hairs, 3-lobed cordate leaves, flowers solitary in axis up to 3-5 cm wide, fruits yellow to orange, seeds many.
Habitat: It found on disturbed sites, usually grow on wet areas.
Propagation: It is propagated by cuttings and from seed.
· Seed sown in early spring will germinate in 12-20 days.
Phytochemicals: The major phytoconstituents of this plant contain alkaloids, phenols, glycoside, flavonoids and cyanogenic compounds and passifloricins, polyketides and alpha-pyrones(Mohanasundari et al. 2007).
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| Fig: Passiflora foetida. |
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| fig : Flower of Passiflora foetida. |
Special features:
1. It is able to trap insect on its bracts, which exude a sticky substance that also contain digestive enzymes.
2. Heliconii butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, their larvae develop only on plants of family passifloraceae.
Traditional uses:
1. Young leaves are used in tea in Vietnamese folk medicine to relieve sleeping problems.
2. In Suriname’s traditional medicine, a tea of leaves is used as expectorant and for nervous disorders.
3. In Brazil, the herb is used in the form of lotions or poultices for erysipelas and skin diseases with inflammation.
4. Traditionally, the fresh or dried whole plants as well as their preparation are accepted for medicinal use in America, France and other European countries for the treatment of nervous anxiety.
Sanjeet Kumar
RIE, Bhubaneshwar.
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