''Actinidia polygama'' (also known as , silver vine, , and cat powder) is a species of

kiwifruit Kiwifruit (often shortened to kiwi in North American, British and continental European English) or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus ''Actinidia''. The most common cultivar group of kiwif ...

in the

Actinidiaceae The Actinidiaceae are a small family of flowering plants. The family has three genera and about 360 species and is a member of the order Ericales. Distribution They are temperate and subtropical woody vines, shrubs, and trees, native to As ...

family. It grows in the mountainous areas of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

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 n ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

at elevations between . Silver vine can reach up to high at maturity. It is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

climber and tolerates temperatures down to . The petiole leaves are silver and white in color and long and wide. These colorful markings make the plant identifiable from afar, until the flowering season when the leaves turn completely green. The flowering season lasts from late June to early July, in which the plant bears white flowers about in diameter. The longevity of an individual flower is 2–3 days, when the plant also starts to develop small, yellow to yellow-red, egg-shaped, fleshy, and multiseeded fruits, which mature from September to October. The fruit is about wide and long. The inside of the fruit resembles the common

, but it is orange in color rather than green. The silver vine plant requires moist, well-drained soil, and partial shade to full sun. This fast-growing vine makes for good cover on a fence or trellis. It is becoming increasingly popular as an edible fruit crop.

Uses

Traditional medicine

Silver vine has been used for its medicinal benefits for centuries,Konoshima, 1963 as a preventive health aid, it is still commonly used as an alternative therapy for

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high b ...

arthritic pain 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 some ...

, and was investigated for potential to induce

apoptosis Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes ( morphology) and death. These changes in ...

in ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called " test-tube experiments", these studies in biology a ...

'' promyelocytic leukemia. In

traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

and Japanese medicine, it has been used for a wide range of health problems, including: In Korean

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, silver vine was soaked in traditional Korean sauces and used for

diuresis Diuresis () is increased urination (polyuria) or, in the related word senses more often intended, the physiological process that produces such an increase or the administration of medications to encourage that process. It involves extra urine pr ...

, alleviation of pain,

, genital troubles , and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

. It is said that "In the ancient times, weary travelers regain energy to continue their journey after eating the fruit of silver vine."www.love-nature.jp
昔、疲れきった旅人が、マタタビの実を食べて生気を取り戻し、意気洋々とまた旅を続けたという名の由来が次に続く。 Silver vine leaves also have a high content of

flavonoids Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

terpenoids The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes" ...

, saponins, beta-carotene,

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

and

vitamin E Vitamin E is a group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vi ...

Culinary

The fruit in the "acorn" shape can be salted and eaten raw, fried in oil, added to rice, or mixed with sesame seeds and mayonnaise to top salads. The fruit may also be fermented to make ''Matatabi sake'' and ''

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and ...

''; fermented into a fruit wine; or extracted for juice. The leaves, buds, and stems can also be ground into a powder or cut, steamed, and steeped to make tea. Adding mint or sugar can give variations in the tea.

Products

Grinding the leaves and stems into a coarser grind than needed for the tea makes ''Matatabi'' grass, which is used as

bath salt Bath salts are water-soluble, pulverized minerals that are added to water to be used for bathing. They are said to improve cleaning, enhance the enjoyment of bathing, and serve as a vehicle for cosmetic agents. Bath salts have been developed wh ...

s. The vine is used as material for folk crafts, and the sap is collected to make lotions.

Pets

Silver vine has long been known to elicit euphoric response in cats. The reaction to silver vine is similar to the

catnip ''Nepeta cataria'', commonly known as catnip, catswort, catwort, and catmint, is a species of the genus '' Nepeta'' in the family Lamiaceae, native to southern and eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of China. It is widely ...

response, but appears to be more intense. Silver vine is an alternative to catnip, and many cats that don't react to catnip will respond positively to silver vine powder made from dried fruit galls. Typical behaviors include rolling, chin and cheek rubbing, drooling, and licking. The effect usually lasts between 5 and 30 minutes, but cats are typically unresponsive to the plant for one or more hours. A study published in January 2021 suggests that felines are specifically attracted to the

iridoids Iridoids are a type of monoterpenoids in the general form of cyclopentanopyran, found in a wide variety of plants and some animals. They are biosynthetically derived from 8-oxogeranial. Iridoids are typically found in plants as glycosides, mos ...

nepetalactol Nepetalactol is an iridoid. It is produced from 8-oxogeranial by the enzyme iridoid synthase. Nepetalactol is a substrate for the enzyme iridoid oxidase (IO) which produces 7-deoxyloganetic acid. It has been identified in ''Actinidia polygama'' ...

and

nepetalactone Nepetalactone is a name for multiple iridoid analog stereoisomers. Nepetalactones are produced by ''Nepeta cataria'' ( catnip) and many other plants belonging to the genus '' Nepeta'', in which they protect these plants from herbivorous insects b ...

, present in silver vine and

, respectively. The compounds were found to repel mosquitos, and it is hypothesized that rubbing against the plants provides the cats with a chemical coat that protects them against mosquito bites.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1357333 polygama Cat attractants Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of Primorsky Krai Fruits originating in East Asia Japanese fruit Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine