Cissampelos owariensis (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Medicinal
Ornamental
Fibre

Cissampelos owariensis P.Beauv. ex DC.

Protologue: Prodr. 1: 100 (1824).

Family: Menispermaceae

Synonyms

• Cissampelos pareira L. var. owariensis (P.Beauv. ex DC.) Oliv. (1868).

Vernacular names

• Liane amère, liane corde, liane serpent (Fr).
• Kishiki cha buga, mkasisi cha mkiwa, mlagalaga (Sw).

Origin and geographic distribution

Cissampelos owariensis occurs from Sierra Leone east to Uganda and south to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique.

Uses

Cissampelos owariensis, Cissampelos mucronata A.Rich. and Cissampelos pareira L. have often been confused; as they are also similarly used, it is often impossible to correlate uses unambiguously with a particular species.

Throughout the distribution area of Cissampelos owariensis people take an infusion of the bitter rhizome, leaves or stems to cure gastro-intestinal complaints such as diarrhoea, dysentery, colic, intestinal worms and digestive complaints, and also urogenital problems such as menstrual problems, venereal diseases, infertility, to induce contraction of the uterus to start labour or abortion and to expel the placenta. Women of the Bini people in Nigeria use the leaves to promote foetal growth.

Leaves and rhizomes or their ash are widely used in various forms to treat abscesses, ulcers and scabies, and also as a haemostatic. In Nigeria leaf sap is used as nose or eye drops to cure headache. In Congo a decoction of stems mixed with leaves of other plants is used as a wash to treat wounds. In DR Congo leaf sap is applied to swellings, and is taken as a stomachic. A maceration of the plant is applied to snakebites. A decoction of the rhizome macerated in palm oil is taken against piles. In south-eastern Tanzania grated rhizome is applied to snake bites. The aerial parts enter in preparations to treat amnesia and psychoses and in the preparation of health tonics. A decoction of crushed leaves is used in veterinary medicine to treat diarrhoea. In Nigeria the rhizome is sometimes used in the preparation of arrow poison.

The stems are used as binding material for basket-work. The plant is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental.

Production and international trade

The plant is commonly sold in local markets. It may enter wider markets by the name ‘pareira brava’. True ‘pareira brava’ however is made from the South American Chondrodendron tomentosum Ruiz & Pav.; in some African countries it is permitted to sell Cissampelos pareira under this name, and confusion with Cissampelos owariensis may occur.

Properties

Although the chemical and pharmaceutical properties of several Cissampelos spp. have been studied extensively and promising activities have been demonstrated, these aspects of Cissampelos owariensis have hardly been studied. Given the wide use of the plant in traditional medicine, it seems likely that it contains similar compounds, such as bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids.

Crude ethanol extracts of leaves and rhizomes of Cissampelos owariensis applied topically to adult Acanthoscelides obtectus (pest of beans), Sitophilus oryzae (pest of stored rice grain) and Prostephanus truncatus (pest of maize and cassava) caused significant mortality in these beetles. Seed and leaf powders and slurries were also very effective against the last 2 pests when mixed with grains at a rate of 1% w/w.

Description

Dioecious liana, with rhizome; stem and branchlets with spreading hairs. Leaves arranged spirally, simple, peltate; stipules absent; petiole 4–16 cm long, inserted 1–2 cm from the base of the blade; blade broadly ovate to circular, sometimes broadly triangular, 6–12 cm in diameter, base rounded to almost cordate, apex obtuse and mucronate, papery, variably hairy, palmately 5–7-veined. Inflorescence an axillary, umbel-like cyme, solitary or clustered; male inflorescence arranged in a false raceme up to 40 cm long, female inflorescence arranged in a false raceme up to 35 cm long; peduncle 0.5–3 cm long, hairy; bracts rounded or kidney-shaped, up to 4 cm in diameter, enlarging in fruit, whitish, hairy. Flowers unisexual; pedicel c. 1 mm long; male flowers with 4(–5) obovate, spreading sepals 1–1.5 mm × 0.5–1 mm, hairy outside, corolla cup-shaped, c. 1 mm long, stamens 2–5, filaments fused; female flowers with 1 sepal, 1–2 mm × 0.5–1 mm, petals 1(–3), kidney-shaped, c. 1 mm long, ovary superior, 1–1.5 mm long, hairy, 1-celled. Fruit an obovoid drupe 4–6 mm × 4–5 mm, hairy, red when ripe, stone woody with warty ribs, 1-seeded.

Other botanical information

Cissampelos comprises about 20 species, 7 in tropical America and 13 in tropical Africa. Cissampelos pareira is the only species with a pantropical distribution.

Growth and development

Cissampelos owariensis is very variable in leaf form, hairiness and inflorescence size. Flowering occurs towards the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season, in Benin from January to May. Fruits mature in the dry season.

Ecology

Cissampelos owariensis occurs in lowland and riverine forest, also in secondary forest, and it is often also common in clearings, orchards, fields and hedges, especially on moist soils up to 900 m altitude.

Propagation and planting

Cissampelos owariensis is only propagated by seed

Management

It is sometimes found as a medicinal plant in home gardens, mainly in coastal regions.

Harvesting

Plant material is collected from the wild throughout the year, whenever required.

Handling after harvest

Collected plant material may be dried for later use.

Genetic resources

Cissampelos owariensis has a wide distribution and is not in danger of genetic erosion. In view of its medicinal importance and wide distribution, the establishment of a representative germplasm collection is recommended.

Prospects

Cissampelos owariensis has many medicinal uses, which are similar to several other Cissampelos spp. However, few chemical and pharmacological investigations on Cissampelos owariensis have been made and additional research is warranted. If the biological activities are confirmed, biological and ecological studies are needed for domestication to ensure sustainable use.

Major references

• Baerts, M. & Lehmann, J., 2006. Cissampelos owariensis. [Internet]. Prelude Medicinal Plants Database. Metafro-Infosys, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium http://www.metafro.be/prelude. November 2007.

• Burkill, H.M., 1994. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. Volume 2, Families E–I. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 636 pp.

• Neuwinger, H.D., 1996. African ethnobotany: poisons and drugs. Chapman & Hall, London, United Kingdom. 941 pp.

• Neuwinger, H.D., 2000. African traditional medicine: a dictionary of plant use and applications. Medpharm Scientific, Stuttgart, Germany. 589 pp.

• Niber, B.T., 1994. The ability of powders and slurries from ten plant species to protect stored grain from attack by Prostephanus truncatus Horn (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) and Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Journal of Stored Products Research 30(4): 297–301.

• Troupin, G., 1960. Menispermaceae. In: Exell, A.W. & Wild, H. (Editors). Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 1, part 1. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 150–171.

Other references

• Chifundera, K., 1987. Antivenomous plants used in the Zairean pharmacopoeia. African Study Monographs 7: 21–35.

• Igoli, J.O., Ogaji, O.G., Tor-Anyiin, T.A. & Igoli, N.P., 2005. Traditional medicine practice amongst the Igede people of Nigeria. Part 2. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines 2(2): 134–152.

• Keay, R.W.J. & Troupin, G., 1954. Menispermaceae. In: Keay, R.W.J. (Editor). Flora of West Tropical Africa. Volume 1, part 1. 2nd Edition. Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 66–77.

• Maas, A., 1991. Inventaire des produits traditionnels contre la diarrhée des petits ruminants. Enquête dans le département du Mono. Rapport de stage. Direction de la recherche agronomique. Projet de recherche appliquée en milieu réel. République du Bénin, Ministère du Développement Rural, Cotonou, Benin. 39 pp.

• Niber, B.T., Helenius, J. & Varis, A.L., 1992. Toxicity of plant extracts to three storage beetles (Coleoptera). Journal of Applied Entomology 113: 202–208.

• Troupin, G., 1951. Menispermaceae. In: Robyns, W., Staner, P., Demaret, F., Germain, R., Gilbert, G., Hauman, L., Homès, M., Jurion, F., Lebrun, J., Vanden Abeele, M. & Boutique, R. (Editors). Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. Spermatophytes. Volume 2. Institut National pour l’Étude Agronomique du Congo belge, Brussels, Belgium. pp. 202–255.

• Troupin, G., 1962. Monographie des Menispermaceae africaines. Mémoires in-8. Académie Royale des Sciences d’Outre-Mer, Classe des Sciences Naturelles et Médicales, Nouvelle série 8(2), Brussels, Belgium. 313 pp.

• Wome, B., 1985. Recherches ethnopharmacognosiques sur les plantes médicinales utilisées en médecine traditionnelle à Kisangani (Haut-Zaïre). PhD thesis, Faculty of Sciences, University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium. 561 pp.

Sources of illustration

• Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (Editors), 2006. Flore analytique du Bénin. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands. 1034 pp.

Author(s)

• D.M. Mosango, c/o Laboratory of Natural Sciences, Lycée Français Jean Monnet de Bruxelles (LFB), Avenue du Lycée Français 9, 1180 Brussels, Belgium

Correct citation of this article

Mosango, D.M., 2008. Cissampelos owariensis P.Beauv. ex DC. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 6 March 2025.

• See the Prota4U database.