| Skunkvine | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Paederia |
| Species: | P. foetida |
| Binomial name | |
| Paederia foetida L. [1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
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Paederia foetida is a species of plant, with common names that are variations of Skunkvine; Stinkvine; or Chinese Fever Vine.[3] It is native to temperate, and tropical Asia; and has become naturalized in the Mascarenes, Melanesia, Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands.[2]
Paederia foetida is known for the strong, sulphurous odour exuded when its leaves or stems are crushed or bruised. This is because the oil responsible for the smell, and found primarily within the leaves, contains sulphur compounds, including largely dimethyl disulphide.[4]
P. foetida is native to Bangladesh and southern Bhutan; Cambodia; Taiwan and China (in Hong Kong and Macau, and the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang); India (in Andhra Pradesh, Warangal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, in the northern part of West Bengal, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands); Indonesia; Japan (in Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku prefectures, as well as in the Ryukyu Islands); Laos; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; the Philippines; Singapore; South Korea; Thailand; and Vietnam.[2]
It is sometimes planted as an ornamental; and has virtue in folk medicine.[2]
In Assamese it is called Bhedai lota or Paduri lota and is a distinct part of Assamese cuisine.
In Bengali it is called Gandhabhadule/Gandal গন্ধভাদুলে/গাঁদাল and believed to be a laxative or bowel-function regulator.