It is an under-shrub, climbs up to 1 to 3 m high, with stout and creeping root stock. The root occurs in clusters or fascicle at the base of the stem with succulent and tuberous rootlets. The stem is scandent, woody, triquetrous, striate, terete and climbing. The young stem is delicate, brittle and smooth. The spines are long, sub-recurved or straight. Cladodes are in tufts of 2 to 6 in a node, slender, finely acuminate, falcate divaricate. The flowers, solitary or fascicles, simple or branched racemes of 3 cm long. The pedicel is slender and jointed in the middle. Perianth lobes white, fragrant and 3 mm in length. The anthers minute and purple. The berry globular or obscurely 3 lobbed, purple-reddish, seeds hard with brittle testa.

Anticancer, alleviates spasms and antiarrythmic (aerial part); aphrodisiac, hypothermic and galactogenic (root); antibacterial and antifungal (bark); antioxytocic and diuretic (plant); antiallergic (root extract).

Herbal Monograph
Plants for a Future
Herb Information

Shatavarins I-IV (plant); diosgenin and a flavonoid glycoside (leaf); quercetin (flower); rutin (flower and leaf); Aloin (gel).

As a tonic, aphrodisiac, cooling agent and for stimulating the secretion and/or flow of milk (root); as a demulcent (plant); is useful in tumors, inflammations, diseases of blood and eye, throat complaints, tuberculosis, leprosy, epilepsy, night blindness and kidney troubles.

Do not use if congested.

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.