''Aristolochia contorta'', commonly known as northern pipevine, also known as

birthwort ''Aristolochia'' () is a large plant genus with over 500 species that is the type genus of the family Aristolochiaceae. Its members are commonly known as birthwort, pipevine or Dutchman's pipe and are widespread and occur in the most diverse clima ...

, is a climbing perennial

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

Ecology

''Aristolochia contorta'' is a perennial

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 t ...

plant with stout elongated

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

that grows on the edges of the mountains, fields or forests in Korea,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and eastern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is rarely found in open fields along the edge of the forests. It grows well in sunny places or slightly or fully shaded places with well-drained soil, and grows up to .

Stem

Its glabrous stems grow up to -. The color of the new sprouts is dark purple, and eventually turns green or even slightly white. It grows up winding around other objects.

Leaves

Its heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves sprout unevenly and the color is white tinged with green. The length extends from - , and the width extends from -. The edges are dull and the petioles are long.

Flower

Green and purple tube shaped flowers bloom during July to August, coming out from the axils.

Calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

tubes are glabrous and widen to the bottom, and narrowing towards the top they open widely like horns. One side of the lobes lengthen with sharp edges, and the length of the

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

s are - . The flowers do not have floral leaves and consist of 6 stamens and 6 pistils joined together as a whole. The ovaries are very thin, long and fragile.

Fruit

The globular shaped fruits bore on October, has 6 holes containing many seeds. The lower part of the fruits divide, each of them hanging on to the

s, splitting like tiny strands, and shape like parachutes.

Chemical constituents

''Aristolochia contorta'' contains the carcinogenic chemical compounds aristolochic acid and derivatives. The plant also contains aristolactam derivatives and N-glycosides: 8-desmethoxyaristolactam, 6-hydroxy-8-desmethoxyaristolactam N-b-d-glucopyranoside and oxoaporphines. ''A. contarta'' is believed to be antimicrobial, hallucinogenic, immunostimulating, antitumour, and hypotensive.

Traditional medicine

In Korean traditional prescription, their fruits and roots are used medicinally. The fruits are used for treating phlegm, asthma, hemorrhoids and high blood pressure, and the roots for enteritis,

boil A boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle. It is most commonly caused by infection by the bacterium ''Staphylococcus aureus'', resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by an ...

s, and abdominal inflation.

Breeding method

The seeds gathered in October are most productive, and the roots of early spring or fall can be divided for planting.

Care

Grows best planted in pots and gardens, and planted on slopes with well-drained soil. The plants must be watered two to three days apart.

Consumption

After the peeled fruits roasted on high heat are ground into powder, of it must be boiled in of water.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6851491

contorta ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine ...

Medicinal plants of Asia Taxa named by Alexander von Bunge