Botany
· A climbing vine with cylindrical and slender stems, up to 1 cm in diameter.
· Leaflets are 5 to 7, elliptic to oblong, 3 to 7 cms in length.
· Flowers: solitary; the corolla about 3 to 4 cm long, blue with a white, yellowish, or pale-blue center
· Pods are 5 to 10 cms long, flat, with 6 to 10 seeds.

Chemical constituents
Root-bark contains starch, tannin and resins.
The seeds contain a fixed oil, bitter acid resin, tannic acid, and 6% ash. The seed is reported to contain a toxic alkaloid.

Distribution
Common throughout the Philippines, in thickets in settled areas at low and medium altitudes. Cultivated for its conspicuous blue flowers.

Parts utilized
· Roots, leaves, seeds.

Characteristics and pharmacologic effects
Roots are diuretic. mildly purgative or laxative.
The seeds are vomiting, diuretic and emmenagogue.
An alcoholic extract is used as a cathartic.
The roots taken as purgative, have been reported to be toxic and narcotic, causing irritability, loss of memory or unconciousness.

Folkloric uses
· Infusion of leaves is used for eruptions.
· Warm leaf juice mixed with common salt is applied around the ears for earache.
· Leaves are used as poultices for swollen joints.
· Seeds are mildly laxative and purgative; also, antihelminthic.

Availability
Wild-crafted.