''Stephania'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

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

, native to eastern and southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. 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 t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") 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 themselv ...

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

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing ...

. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

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 (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

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 medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

, 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 s ...

'', and '' Sinomenium acutum''. 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'', 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 class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

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