Socfindo Conservation

Hedge Row Tetracera

Tetracera indica (Christm. & Panz.) Merr.

Dilleniaceae

Location in our garden

Hedge Row Tetracera 1Hedge Row Tetracera 2Hedge Row Tetracera 3

Overview

Come from Southeast Asia Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. The plants are used as sandpaper for smoothing wood and for polishing metal. The young, flexible and tough stems can serve as rough straps. Tetracera is one of the plants that has been used as a traditional medicine to treat various diseases. This plant can also be used as a medicine for people with diabetes mellitus and people with bad breath, but it is not stated which parts of this plant can be used to treat these diseases.

Vernacular Names

Rotsukhon daeng (Thai), Chặc chìu ấn (Vietnamese).

Agroecology

A small shrub in open places; a low liana, climbing over low shrubs, in brushwood and open forest at elevations from sea-level to 600 m.

Morphology

  • Roots - tap root.
  • Stems - woody, round stem shape, rough stem surface and slightly peeling, not gummy.
  • Leaves - single, leaf color is dark green, sparse shape, leaf surface is slightly hairy, leaf margin (margofolio) is serrated (serratus), leaf veins appear (protrude) secondary parallel, leaf base is pointed, leaf tip is tapered, leaf stalk is slightly hairy, leaf sits  (phylotaxis) alternating.
  • Flowers - It has 3-5 petals, 3-4 carpels and pink colored stamens that form like pom-poms (2.5-3 cm in diameter). Flowers in clusters of 4-7 flowers, emerging from the terminal stem 5-8 cm long.
  • Fruits - rough, round or oval with a diameter of 0.8-1 cm, bright red, shiny.
  • Seeds - ovoid, covered with red fleshy tissue (arils).

Cultivation

Propagated by seeds and division of suckers.

Chemical Constituents

Compounds (phenolic) chloroacetic acid, phenol, 2, 6-dimethoxy and pyrocatechol.  Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin, luteolin, myrisetin, rhamnetin, isorhamnetin and azaleatin).

Benefits

  • In Malaysia, the roots are boiled and the water is drunk to reduce high blood pressure and body temperature when attacked by hot fever.  
  • The leaves are used as a powder medicine to relieve skin itching.
  • An infusion of the shoots is used in the treatment of pulmonary haemorrhages
  • An infusion of the shoots is used as a gargle for the treatment of mouth ulcers.
  • The finely crushed young shoots are made into a poultice and put on bites of poisonous snakes and festering fingers.

Simplisia

Not yet documented.

Plant Parts Used

Hedge Row Tetracera part 1
Hedge Row Tetracera part 2
Hedge Row Tetracera part 3

Traditional Recipes

1. Menyembuhkan luka luar

1. 1. Menyembuhkan luka luar

  • Ambil daun rempelas.
  • Bakar hingga menjadi abu.
  • Lalu tabur abu hasil bakaran di atas luka.
2. Sariawan

2. 2. Sariawan

  • Ambil pucuk daun segar rempelas secukupnya cuci hingga bersih.
  • Rendam tunggu hingga beberapa lama.
  • Saring lalu kumur untuk meredakan sariawan.

Reference Sources

  1. Useful Tropical Plant Database. 2021. Tetracera indica. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tetracera+indica. 26-06-22.
  2. Royal Botanical Garden. 2021. Plant of the World Online : Tetracera indica (Christm. & Panz.) Merr. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:317418-1. 26-06-22.
  3. Plant Resources of South East Asia. 2017. Tetracera indica. https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Tetracera_indica_(PROSEA). 26-06-22.