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Indian Ipecac
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Indian Ipecac
P Native Photo: Prashant Awale
Common name: Indian Ipecac, Indian ipecacuanha, emetic swallow-wort, vomiting swallow-wort • Bengali: অন্তমূল antomula • Gujarati: દમ વેલ dum vel • Hindi: अंतमूल antamul, जंगली पीकवान jangli pikvan • Kannada: ಅಡುಮುಟ್ಟದಗಿಡ adumuttadagida, ಅಂತಮೂಲ antamula, ಬಳ್ಳಿಹಾಲೆ ballihaale, ಕಿರುಮಂಜಿ kirumanji, ನಾಯಿಹಾಲೆ naayihaale, ನೇಪಾಳದಬೇರು naepalada baeru • Konkani: पितवेल pitvel • Malayalam: വള്ളിപ്പാല vallippala • Marathi: अंतमूळ antamul, बेडकी bedaki, खडकी रास्‍ना khadaki rasna, पितमारी pitamari • Oriya: ମେହେନ୍ଦି mehendi • Sanskrit: अन्त्रपाचक antrapachaka, लताक्षीरी latakshiri • Tamil: கழுதைப்பாலை kalutai-p-palai, நச்சறுப்பான் naccaruppan, நாய்ப்பாலை nay-p-palai • Telugu: కక్కుపాల kakkupala, మేక మెయ్యని ఆకు meka meyyani aaku, వెర్రి పాల verri pala • Tulu: ಬಳ್ಳು ಪಾಲೆ ballu paale, ನೇಪಾಳಬೇರು nepalaberu Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Vincetoxicum indicum    Family: Apocynaceae (Oleander family)
Synonyms: Tylophora indica, Cynanchum indicum

Indian Ipecac is a small, slender, much branched, velvety, twining or climbing herb with yellowish sap. It is mostly found in the sub-himalayan tract from Uttarakhand to Meghalaya and in the central and peninsular India. Rootstock is 2.5-5 cm, thick. Leaves, 6-11 cm long, 3.8-6 cm wide, are ovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, with a narrow tip, heart-shaped at base, thick, velvety beneath when young, smooth above. Leaf stalks are up to 1.2 cm long. Flowers are small, 1-1.5 cm across, in 2 to 3-flowered fascicles in cymes in leaf axils. Sepal tube is divided nearly to the base, densely hairy outside. Sepals are lanceshaped. Flowers are greenish- yellow or greenish-purple, with oblong pointy petals. Fruit is a follicle, up to 7 x 1 cm, ovoid-lanceshaped. Flowering: August-December.
Medicinal uses: It is traditionally used as a folk remedy in certain regions of India for the treatment of bronchial asthma, inflammation, bronchitis, allergies, rheumatism and dermatitis.

Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed in Mumbai & Agumbe, Karnataka..

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