| Aristolochia indica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Aristolochiaceae |
| Genus: | Aristolochia |
| Species: | A. indica |
| Binomial name | |
| Aristolochia indica L. |
|
Aristolochia indica is a creeper plant found in Kerala in India and also Sri Lanka. This plant is critical to the survival of the Southern Birdwing and Common Birdwing.[1] It reaches a height of several metres on trees and cover the branches with thick foliage. It flowers once a year to produce seeds. It can also be propagated by roots. The plant has a number of historical medicinal uses. This plant contains Aristolochic acid is a rodent carcinogen found in Aristolochia and Asarum, both in the Aristolochiaceae family of plants. Aristolochic acid is composed of a ~1:1 mixture of two forms, aristolochic acid I and aristolochic acid II.
In addition to its carcinogenicity, aristolochic acid is also highly nephrotoxic and may be a causative agent in Balkan nephropathy. However, despite these well-documented dangers, aristolochic acid still is present sometimes in herbal remedies (such as for weight loss), primarily because of substitution of innocuous herbs with Aristolochia species.