''Cayaponia tayuya'' (tayuya or taiuiá) is a vine that grows in the Amazon region of South America, in the nations of Brazil,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and Peru. Its roots are used in

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

. Studies in rodent

models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

have shown that several cucurbitacins isolated from tayuya may have anti-inflammatory properties and reduce damage from

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

. Some cucurbitacins can be made anti-rheumatic agent.

References

Flora of Bolivia Flora of Brazil Flora of Peru Flora of the Amazon Medicinal plants of South America Cucurbitoideae {{Medicinal plants-stub