Patawali (Tinospora crispa)

what is Patawali (Tinospora crispa)?

patawali can be found in the rain forest or mixed deciduous forest in Asia and Africa.it has been used in traditional medicines to treat numerous health. patawali  is an herbaceous vine which extensively grows in tropical and subtropical regions of southeast Asia.the stem of this herbs are fleshy,with prominent tubercles whereas younger stem are slightly fleshy,thin epidermis,membranous and glabrous.

the leaves of patawali are heart shape and large,6-12 cm longs and 7-12 cm wide. patawali have 2 or 3 small and yellow or greenish color flowers which are fascicles.

Tinospora crispa is known as patawali,akar patawali,seruntum or akar seruntum in Malaysian indonesia its known as antawali,brotawali and andawali.meanwhile in Philippines its known as makabuhary which means "you may live".in Thailand known as boraphet and in China known as ruanjinteng

benefits of  Patawali (Tinospora crispa)

• decoction from the stem of patawali has been used as antipyretic,in the treatment of internal inflammations,decreasing thirst,enhancing hunger,cooling down the body and goods for maintiannce of health
• can be used to treat intoxication caused by drugs or alcohol by the cold infusion of the seed 
• patawali has been used by You communities of china to treat wide variety of health ailments
• in Malaysia this herbs is used traditionally to treat diabetes, hypertension,stimulation of appetite and protection from mosquito bites.
• in Bangladesh ,the juice of the stem can be used to treat of intestinal disorders,jaundice,rheumatism,body pain,paralysis,skin disease and leprosy
• meanwhile in philippines the extract of patawali leaves is used to treat flatulence,dyspepsia,diarrhea and rheumatism.

it is safe to consume this herbs?

the ethanol extract of patawali did not cause any signs of toxicity or animal death at dose of 4.0g/kg of body weight.however the administration of ethanol extract at dose of 9.26g/kg to rats caused hepatatic and renal toxicities according to  chronic toxicity test for 6 month.

according to a research that has been done, the oral administration of the ethanol extract of Tinospora crispa at doses  of 100 and 200 mg/kg for 8 weeks potentiated the thioacetamide induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

however the data about toxicity of patawali are very limited,so toxicology aspects of patawali need to investigated comprehensively.

source:

Ahmad, W., Jantan, I., & Bukhari, S. N. (2016). A Review of Its Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Aspects. Front Pharmacol.