Common Name: Skunk Vine

General Information

Paederia foetida is a fast-growing, slender, perennial, climbing plant producing stems 1.5 - 7 metres long that twine into other plants for support[]. The whole plant has a foetid aroma when rubbed[].
A popular medicinal plant in the Orient, where it is commonly gathered from the wild and also cultivated. It is sold as a medicinal herb in local markets and is also often grown as an ornamental[].
The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalised in many areas[]. It has become a serious weed of young sugarcane[]. The vines climb over shrubs and trees, weighing them down and impeding regeneration[]. They also invade pastureland and are troublesome along roads and on power lines[]. The seeds may be dispersed by birds and the plant is also spread by the transport of rooted fragments[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - southern and eastern China, Japan, Korea, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

A ruderal in thickets and woodland, also along forest edges, in secondary evergreen to deciduous forest and clearings in primary forest[]. Also grows in montane vegetation up to 3,000 m, on steep, forested slopes, or on sandy or rocky sea coasts[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Climber
Height	5.50 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Butterflies
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Paederia foetida is found in a range of environments from the warm temperate zone to the tropics. It is tolerant of at least some frost[].
Succeeds in any fertile soil so long as it is well drained[, ]. Plants have a wide ranging adaptability to different levels of light, types of soil, and salt conditions[]. Requires a sunny sheltered position[]. A very variable plant[].
The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalised in many areas[]. It has become a serious weed of young sugarcane[]. The vines climb over shrubs and trees, weighing them down and impeding regeneration[]. They also invade pastureland and are troublesome along roads and on power lines[]. The seeds may be dispersed by birds and the plant is also spread by the transport of rooted fragments[].
The plant can be found flowering and fruiting throughout the year in tropical and subtropical conditions; in other localities, it flowers during the rainy season, and fruits early in the dry season[].
Individual flowers are short-lived, open early in the morning and fall off after 2 days; entire inflorescences, however, bear flowers for a long period of time[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[]. Although they have a strong flavour, the leaves are sometimes mixed with grated coconut and spices, and then eaten raw as a side-dish with rice[, ]. The minced leaves are steamed and eaten; they can be added to soups; or are mixed with various vegetables and spices, then wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked over a fire[]. Any offensive smell disappears as the leaves are cooked[]. The leaves are valued more for their medicinal virtues than for their flavour![].

The sweet stem juice is sucked in Taiwan[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves are widely used in Asia and South-East Asia, where they are especially valued for treating digestive problems[]. Considerable research has been carried out into the medicinal benefits of the plants, with several active compounds having been recorded[].
Several iridoid glucosides such as asperuloside, scandoside and paederoside have been isolated from the aerial parts of the plant[]. These glucosides have displayed antitumor activity with paederoside displaying the highest degree of antitumor-promoting activity[]. Scandoside has been shown to promote the growth of lettuce seedlings. Paederoside showed a similar inhibitory activity to that of asperuloside and daecetyl-asperulosidic acid in a plant growth inhibition test and in an antimicroorganism activity test[].
The bruised aerial parts of the plant have the fetid odour of indole (methyl-mercaptan). Damage to the tissue releases an enzyme which splits off this sulphur-containing group from paederoside, and is therefore responsible for the unpleasant odour. The most abundant sulphur-containing compound was dimethyl disulphide[].
The presence of alkaloids and an essential oil have also been recorded[]. Monoterpenes such as linalol constitute the major components in the oil[].
In older investigations, decoctions of the plant showed significant anti-inflammatory action against arthritis[]. The decoction also exhibited marked activity against degenerative osteo-arthritis[].
The water soluble fraction of the aerial parts displayed anti-inflammatory activity in oedema[]. It failed to exhibit any analgesic or antipyretic action and showed no ulcerogenic potential[].
An ethanolic extract of the leaves has shown anticancer activity against human epidermoid carcinoma of the nasopharynx[].
A methanol extract of the leaves has shown hepatoprotective potential, being effective in reversing 6 out of 12 common biochemical (enzymatic) parameters assessed[].
Another study has shown that the plant has antidiarrhoeal activity, acting by inhibiting intestinal motility - thus supporting its use in traditional medicine[].

The leaves are anodyne, antirheumatic, antivinous, astringent, carminative, depurative, diuretic, restorative and vermifuge[, , ]. They are commonly used for the treatment of intestinal complaints such as abdominal pain, colic, cramps, flatulence and dysentery; and are also used for treating rheumatism and gout[, , ]. The leaves are also used to treat infertility and paralysis[]. The leaves and stems are also used as a diuretic for inflammation of the urethra[]. For treating intestinal problems, the fresh leaves are pounded, water added, and the filtered infusion is drunk regularly till convalescence[].
The plant is considered to have great restorative powers, and the leaves may thus be mixed with food, boiled and eaten - in India, they are often boiled in soup to lessen their smell[].
Applied externally, the leaves are used to treat swellings and bruises in general, and are mashed then applied for earache, ulcerations of the nose and swollen eyes[, ]. They are used as a poultice for treating a swollen belly, distension, herpes or ringworm; and are used in antirheumatic baths[]. They are applied to the abdomen as a diuretic, and also as a solvent for vesical stones[].

The juice of the leaves is considered astringent, and is used to treat diarrhoea in children[].

The bark and the root are considered to be emetic[]. The juice of the root is prescribed in cases of indigestion, piles, inflammation of the spleen, and pain in the chest and liver[, ]. It may help to eliminate poisons collected in the system[].

In some parts of India, the fruit is used to blacken teeth, and it is also considered a medicine to prevent and treat toothache[, ].

Other Uses

The stem yields a strong and silky fibre, but it is not commercially exploited[].

An ethanolic extract of the leaves and stem has been shown to be significantly toxic against the aphid Myzus persicae infesting cabbage in India[].

Propagation

Seed - despite its weediness, the plant germinates rather slowly, with tetraploids germinating quicker than hexaploids, in 5 - 22 days, or in 17 - 24 days, respectively[].
Layering. Sometimes, shoots produce adventitious roots when they come in contact with the soil, and can thus be propagated[]
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.