Stemona

Stemona, commonly known as stemona or Chinese silk, is a genus of flowering plants valued in traditional medicine. Renowned for its potent alkaloids, particularly stemonine, it is primarily utilized for its antitussive and anthelmintic properties. These medicinal roots are essential in treating respiratory ailments and various parasitic infections.

  • Scientific name: Stemona
  • Family: Stemonaceae
  • Native range: Asia-Temperate

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Pandanales, it is classified under the family Stemonaceae. Ultimately, it is identified by the genus Stemona.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Pandanales WCVP
Family Stemonaceae WCVP
Genus Stemona WCVP

Common Names

This plant, known scientifically as Stemona, is recognized by various common names depending on the linguistic and regional context. In Chinese, it is referred to as 百部属 (zh-hans), 百部屬 (zh-hant), 百部屬 (zh-hk), and 百部属 (zh). Additionally, in Malaysia, it is commonly known as Galak tua (ms).
Language Common Name Source
zh-hans 百部属 Wikidata
zh-hant 百部屬 Wikidata
zh-hk 百部屬 Wikidata
ms Galak tua Wikidata
zh 百部属 Wikidata
th สกุลหนอนตายหยาก Wikidata
zh-cn 百部属 Wikidata
zh-tw 百部屬 Wikidata
ar ستيمونا Wikidata
id Pohon Galak tua Wikidata

Distribution

This plant is primarily found across various regions of China, including the South-Central and North-Central areas. Its natural habitat also extends to the tropical environment of Hainan. Furthermore, the species is widely distributed throughout China Southeast. Beyond mainland China, its geographical range reaches into Eastern Asia, specifically in Japan.

Region Area Source
China China South-Central WCVP
China Hainan WCVP
China China North-Central WCVP
China China Southeast WCVP
Eastern Asia Japan WCVP
Eastern Asia Taiwan WCVP
Indian Subcontinent Assam WCVP
Indian Subcontinent Bangladesh WCVP
Indian Subcontinent India WCVP
Indian Subcontinent Sri Lanka WCVP

Activities

Stemona has 4 reported activities identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Anticancer, Antifeedant, Antimicrobial, Antitussive.

Total activities
4
Scientific sources
4

Most Reported Activities

Activity Sources Confidence
Anticancer 1 ★☆☆☆☆
Antifeedant 1 ★☆☆☆☆
Antimicrobial 1 ★☆☆☆☆
Antitussive 1 ★☆☆☆☆