(Rubiaceae) Rubia argyi (H.Lév. & Vaniot) H.Hara

Local name(s): (kheua lin ma nai)

Medicinal use(s): treatment for kidney stone, backache

Part(s) used: Vine 

Field characters: Vine with fine spiny bristles, flowers small, pale green, fruits green. 

Locality: Xieng Khouang Province, Kham District, Kham Medicinal Biodiversity Preserve, 15 km from Kham town. 

Habitat: Broadleaved evergreen submontane forest. Edge of forest along the road. Not common.

Altitude: 1130 m asl. 

Collector(s): D. Soejarto, K. Sydara, M. Xayvue

Collection number(s): DDS 14961

Collection Date: May 16, 2014

Additional information:  

The voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA, under accession no. 2313834.Samples of this plant were submitted for anticancer testing.
Project: CCF

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 


Plants of the World onlineFlora of China Vol. 19 Pages 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 314, 317, 319 GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Medicinal properties:


Chung M-I, Jou S-J, Cheng T-H, et al.  Antiplatelet Constituents of Formosan Rubia akane. Journal of Natural Products 1994, 57 (2), 313-316. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/np50104a020 


Eskandarzadeh M, Esmaeili A, Nikbakht MR, et al. Genus Rubia: Therapeutic Effects and Toxicity: A Review. Herbal Medicines Journal 2023; 8(1):34-48. https://hmj.lums.ac.ir/index.php/hmj/article/view/903 


Shan M, Yu S, et al. A Review of the Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology of Rubiae Radix et Rhizoma. Molecules 2016, 21(12), 1747; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21121747