''Stephania'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Menispermaceae Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek ''mene'' 'crescent moon' and ''sperma'' 'seed') is a family (biology), family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the ...

, native to eastern and southern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. They are

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

s, growing to around four metres tall, with a large

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are arranged spirally on the stem and are peltate, with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf. The name ''Stephania'' comes from the Greek, "a crown". This refers to the

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s being arranged in a crown-like manner. One species, '' S. tetrandra'', is among the 50 fundamental herbs used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

, where it is called ''han fang ji'' (漢防己, "Chinese ''fang ji''"). Other plants named ''fang ji'' are sometimes substituted for it. Other varieties substituted include '' Cocculus thunbergii'', '' C. trulobus'', '' Aristolochia fangchi'', ''

Stephania tetrandria ''Stephania'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Menispermaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia and Australia. They are herbaceous perennial vines, growing to around four metres tall, with a large tuber. The leaves are arranged sp ...

'', and ''

Sinomenium acutum ''Sinomenium'' is a genus of plant in family Menispermaceae first described as a genus in 1910. It contains only one known species, ''Sinomenium acutum'', native to China, northern India, Nepal, Japan, northern Thailand Thailand, officia ...

''. Notable among these is ''guang fang ji'' (廣防己, "(GuangDong, GuangXi) fang ji", ''Aristolochia fangchi''. Because of its toxicity, it is used in TCM only with great caution.

Selected species

There are about 45 species in the genus ''Stephania'', native to the Far East and Australasia. Species include: ;Fossil species *'' Stephania palaeosudamericana'' Herrera et al. ;Synonyms *''Stephania erecta'' Craib (syn. '' Stephania pierrei'' Diels)

Toxicity

Stephania-delavayi Menispermaceae flowers

There is evidence that a few species of ''Stephania'' are toxic.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 132 (2010). p. 380 However, the most commonly available species in the United States, ''

Stephania tetrandra ''Stephania tetrandra'' is a herbaceous perennial vine of the family Menispermaceae native to China and Taiwan. It grows from a short, woody caudex, climbing to a height of around three meters. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem, and ar ...

'', has not been shown to be toxic. Any confusion regarding the possible toxicity of ''Stephania tetrandra'' was entirely due to an inadvertent shipment of '' Aristolochia fangchi'' sent in its stead to a Belgian clinic in 1993. The errant batch of ''Aristolochia'' was later confirmed via phytochemical analysis.

Chemistry

Chemical investigation of ''Stephania rotunda'' Lour. growing in Vietnam in 2005 led to the isolation and structural elucidation of three new

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2''H'')-one, thaicanine 4-''O''-beta-D-glucoside, as well as (−)-thaicanine ''N''-oxide (4-hydroxycorynoxidine), along with 23 known alkaloids.

References

External links

*
Introduction to RotundineFlora of China: ''Stephania'' species listFlora of Nepal: ''Stephania'' species list
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311127 Medicinal plants Menispermaceae genera Dioecious plants Caudiciform plants