Cardiospermum halicacabum L.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 155

Cardiospermum halicacabum L.

Names.

Myanmar: kala-myetsi, malame, moot maiboa (Mon). English: balloon vine, heart’s pea, heart-seed, winter cherry.

Range.

Pantropical.

Uses.

Whole plant: Used to treat rheumatism and fever, as well as tumors. Boiled in water to one-third the starting volume, and the resulting decoction taken with sugar to cure urinary tract disorders and diseases, as well as laryngitis, fever, aches and pains. Liquid from boiling the plant and jaggery cooled, a cloth bundle of five kinds of fennel soaked in the liquid, and roasted salt added; the resulting preparation is taken three times a day for urinary diseases, indigestion and gas, eye disorders, heart disease, uterine ailments, edema, muscle fatigue and aches, throat problems (possibly cancer), and weakness. Shoot and Leaf: Boiled and eaten as a diuretic. Leaf: Decoction ingested as a remedy for rheumatism or applied in an oil as an embrocation. Most uses of the leaves are external. Juice from the crushed leaves applied around the eyes or mixed with mother’s milk and used as eye drops to treat eye disorders caused by anemia, sore eyes, and cataracts. Juice from the crushed leaves is also used to make thanakha, a paste applied to the face and body to alleviate skin disorders, such as ringworm, discoloration, and acne, as well as rashes related to menstrual irregularities. Equal amounts of powder from the dried leaves and garlic clove are mixed into a paste that is rolled, dried in the sun, and used as an inhalant to clear nasal passages; it is also rubbed on the tongue and inside the mouth to heal sores, to alleviate problems caused by eating the wrong foods or from inhaling cooking fumes, and to treat bronchitis. In addition, the same preparation is dissolved in sesame oil and applied topically as a remedy for skin disorders, such as scabies and eczema, edema, varicose veins, anemia, chills, and fever, as well as for thrush, indigestion, and bloating in infants. Root: Employed as a laxative, diuretic, emetic, purgative, and diaphoretic; also administered to treat catarrh of the bladder and urinary tract.

Notes.

Medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed by Duke and Ayensu (1985).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980), Perry (1980).