(Apocynaceae) Marsdenia tonkinensis Costantin

Local name(s): (Mouk kheua)

Medicinal use(s): treat dysentery.

Part(s) used: the vine.

Field Characters: A vine climbing on a tree, leaves opposite, fruits in pairs, latex white.

Locality: Savannakhet Province, Dong Na Tat Medicinal Plant Preserve, Km 19, Kaisone Phomvihan District.

Habitat: Broadleaved evergreen lowland forest. Forest opening.

Altitude: 160 m asl.

Collector(s): K. Sydara, M. Xayvue, T. Sonemanyvong

Collection number(s): KS 19-042

Collection Date: March 25, 2014

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA under accession no. 2313757.

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 


Plants of the World onlinePham Hoang Ho: Cayco Vietnam vol. 2, p. 741, plant no. 6964GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Medicinal properties:



Saha S, Alshammari A, Albekairi NA, et al. Exploring the antioxidant and protective effects of Marsdenia thyrsiflora Hook.f. leaf extract against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in rat models. Front Pharmacol 2024,15:1463922. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1463922/full 
Saha S, Alshammari A, Albekairi NA, et al. Exploring the antioxidant and protective effects of Marsdenia thyrsiflora Hook.f. leaf extract against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage in rat models. Front Pharmacol 2024, 15:1463922. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2024.1463922/full 
Shikwambi NC, Onywera H, Mwapagha LM. An in vitro investigation of the phytochemical contents of Marsdenia macrantha root and its antibacterial activity against selected foodborne pathogens. Pan Afr Med J 2021, 24;40:58.  DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2021.40.58.28515
Wang P, Yang J, Zhu Z, Zhang X. Marsdenia tenacissima: A Review of Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology. Am J Chin Med 2018,  4:1-32.  DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X18500751
Wang X, Yan Y, Chen X, et al. The Antitumor Activities of Marsdenia tenacissima. Front Oncol 2018,23,8:473. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2018.00473 
Su X, Li R, Zhang Z, et al. Mechanism of Marsdenia tenacissima in treating breast cancer by targeting the MAPK signaling pathway: Utilising metabolomics, network pharmacology, and In vivo experiments for verification. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2025, volume 343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2025.119477