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Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merr.

Synonym	:	Tylophora indica var. glabra (Decne.) H. Huber
Family	:	Apocynaceae
Local name	:	English- Indian Sarsaparilla,Panacea Twiner Malayalam- Vallipaala
Flowering and fruiting period	:	February-April and July-October
Distribution	:	India: Assam, Bengal, Odisha, Peninsular India
Distribution in Kerala	:	All disticts
Habitat	:	Forest thickets, eastern and southern parts and subtropical regions.
Uses	:	Homeopathy, Ayurvedic, Siddha
Key botanical characters: Profusely branching climber, which attains a length of 15 m or more. It has short, knotty, 3–4-cm-thick rootstock. The roots are numerous, fine, up to 15 cm long, very brittle and consist of fibres or fibrils. Leaves are ovate to orbicular, elliptic–lanceolate, shinning green, leathery cordate at base, and 3–10 cm long. The climber can be recognized by its ovate–oblong, shiny leaves and divaricated fruits.