Cissampelos is a genus of about 21–22 accepted species of flowering plants belonging to the family Menispermaceae, within the order Ranunculales. The genus is pantropical in distribution, with species native to Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean and Central America.
Plants in the genus are typically woody or herbaceous twining vines. Menispermaceae as a family is well known for producing biologically active alkaloids, and Cissampelos is no exception — various species have been employed across multiple herbal medicine traditions for centuries. Cissampelos pareira, one of the most widely studied species, is used in Chinese herbology and is known as abuta in Ayurvedic medicine, where it has traditionally been applied as a uterine tonic and treatment for various ailments. Several members of the genus were historically used as curare, a paralytic arrow poison applied during hunting by indigenous peoples of tropical regions.
In Africa, Cissampelos mucronata is used by the Maasai people of Kenya as a forage plant for livestock. Cissampelos sympodialis, native to northeastern Brazil, has attracted scientific interest for its pharmacological properties, including alkaloids with anti-inflammatory and bronchodilatory activity. The genus includes species with disjunct ranges across the tropics, reflecting ancient Gondwanan vicariance as well as long-distance dispersal.
Etymology
The name Cissampelos derives from the Greek words kissos (ivy) and ampelos (vine), referring to the climbing or twining habit characteristic of species in the genus.
Distribution
Cissampelos has a pantropical distribution, with species recorded across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Neotropics including South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Individual species tend to have more restricted ranges within this broad pan-tropical belt.
Cultural Uses
Several Cissampelos species have deep histories of human use. Cissampelos pareira is employed in Chinese herbology and in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is called abuta and used as a uterine tonic. Multiple species in the genus were used by indigenous peoples of tropical South America and Africa as curare — a paralytic poison applied to arrow tips during hunting. The Maasai people of Kenya use Cissampelos mucronata as forage for cattle.
