''Aristolochia tagala'' is commonly known as Indian birthwort and locally as

Dutchman's pipe Dutchman's pipe is a common name for some unrelated flowering plants, which have flowers, inflorescences or stems resembling a pipe: * '' Aristolochia'' species (birthworts or pipevines) from the Aristolochiaceae, particularly '' Aristolochia macr ...

.Plant fact sheet:Aristolochia tagala
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Distribution

It is widely distributed: the distribution is from the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

through South East Asia (includes Myanmar,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

) and China, to

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

(includes the whole of

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

and

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

in Australia). The species is found in forests and open lowland thickets, climbing over bushes and trees.

Ecological roles

The caterpillars of two butterflies, the

common birdwing ''Troides helena'', the common birdwing, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. It is often found in the wildlife trade due to its popularity with Insect collecting, butterfly collectors. The butterfly has seventeen subspecies. ...

(''Troides helena cerberus'') and common rose (''Pachliopta aristolochiae''), feed on the leaves of this plant. A food plant for the species, ''Aristolochia tagala ''has been planted in the Kadoorie Farm and Shan Liu Road in Hong Kong to sustain a healthy population of common birdwings.

Uses

The species is used as medicines. The Malays pound the leaves apply it to the head to treat fever. In Indonesia, poultice are made with leaves of the species; it is applied to the swollen abdomen or limbs. In the Philippines, snake bites and malaria are treated with the plant. In India, the roots are considered a tonic, carminative and

emmenagogue Emmenagogues (also spelled ''emmenagogs'') are herbs which stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Women may use emmenagogues to stimulate menstrual flow when menstruation is absent for reasons other than pr ...

Alkaloids

*7-Hydroxyaristolochic acid A 9185-75-4

Protection

In Hong Kong, this species is under protection based on Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

References

tagala {{piperales-stub