(Dioscoreaceae) Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour.

Local name(s): ຫົວເປົ້າເລືອດ (ຫົວຖ່ອມເລືອດ), ອດສ ໃຫຍ່ ທາວີ (ມົ້ງ) (Hua pao leuat, Hua thom leuat, Qos yaj thawj - Hmong)

Medicinal use(s): treat dysentery, cases of diarrhea

Part(s) used: rhizome (tuber)

Field Characters: Large liana with a spiny black, cylindrical stem, tubers gray-brown, coarsely scaly, subglobular, exposed, in dense cluster on ground surface, the stem arising from the cluster. Cut surface of tuber dark red with scanty red sap. Leaves 3-veined.Sterile.

Locality: Oudomxay, Muang Xay District, Donxay Village, Medicinal Biodiversity Preserve, about 3 km south of the city. GPS reading: At the vicinity of 20o 39.858’ N; 102o 00.033’ E.

Habitat: Forest on a mountain slope in a broadleaved, mixed evergreen lowland tropical rainforest. 

Altitude: 740-850 m asl. 

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

Collection number(s): DDS 15126

Collection Date: September 27, 2014

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA under accession no. 2314166

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 


Plants of the World onlineFlora of China Vol. 24 Page 294GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Useful references:


Adomėnienė A,  Venskutonis PR. Dioscorea spp.: Comprehensive review of antioxidant properties and their relation to phytochemicals and health benefits. Molecules 2022,  27(8). Published online 2022 Apr 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27082530 

China Patent CN104971190a. Application of Dioscorea cirrhosa in preparation of medicines for preventing or treating diabetes and complications of diabetes Inventor: 张敏. 2015-10-14.  https://patents.google.com/patent/CN104971190A/en

 Wang Z, Shengnan Zhao S, Tao S, et al. Dioscorea spp.: Bioactive Compounds and Potential for the Treatment of Inflammatory and Metabolic Diseases.  Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2878. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062878

 Xia CL, Zhong C. [Effect of the active component isolated from the alcohol extract of Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour on blood pressure of rats]. Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao 2010, 30(1):160-2. Chinese. PMID: 20118011.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20118011/