About Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Scientific Name
Scientific name: Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don.
Growth Form and Size
This evergreen climber has a rhizomatous rootstock, and reaches 2 to 5 metres in length. It produces slender, scrambling, multibranched woody stems.
Hardiness and Flowering
It is frost-tender, and bears yellow daisy-like flowers in autumn.
Native Distribution
The species is native to China, southern Japan, the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sulawesi), and the Philippines.
Habitat and Elevation
It grows in forests, brushwood, shrublands, on rocks, near buildings, and along watercourses, at elevations ranging from sea level up to 4,000 metres.
Medicinal Use
Senecio scandens is used as a medicinal herb in China, and is a constituent of more than 100 different herbal medicines.
Chemical Constituents
It contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, plus a range of other compounds including flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, volatile oils, and carotenoids.
Biological Activities
The plant has documented anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-leptospirosis, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antiviral, antitumoral, analgesic, mutagenic, and toxicological activities.
