Chinese tinospora

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Chinese tinospora
• Malabar Gulbel

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Tinospora malabarica
• Cocculus chondodendrum
• Tinospora tomentosa
• Campylus sinensis
• Tinospora malabarica var. tomentosa
• Menispermum tomentosum
• Cocculus malabaricus
• Epibaterium tomentosum
• Menispermum chondrodendron
• Menispermum malabaricum
• Cocculus tomentosus

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Ranunculales, it is classified under the family Menispermaceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Tinospora, specifically as the species Tinospora sinensis.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical range spanning across several key regions in Asia. Within China, its distribution is primarily concentrated in the South-Central and Southeast areas. The species is also widely found throughout the Indian Subcontinent, specifically in regions such as Assam and Bangladesh. Furthermore, its presence extends into the mountainous terrain of the East Himalaya. These varied locations highlight the plant's ability to thrive in different subtropical and montane environments.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Tinospora sinensis is characterized by its classification as a phanerophyte, specifically functioning as a nanophanerophyte, which indicates that its perennating buds are located on aerial branches above the ground level. This woody climber exhibits a deciduous nature, undergoing seasonal leaf shedding as part of its physiological cycle. As a phanerophyte, its survival strategy relies on maintaining elevated bud structures that allow it to persist through varying environmental conditions, ensuring its continued growth and regenerative capacity within its habitat.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

phanerophyte

Morphology

The morphology of Tinospora sinensis is characterized by its growth form as a herb that functions as an obligatory climber, reaching a significant plant height with a mean value of approximately 15 m. It is a terrestrial organism, existing neither as an aquatic nor a semiaquatic plant, and it does not function as an epiphyte. The plant operates as an independent organism rather than a parasite, and it exhibits variable woodiness in its structural development.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

obligatory

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

15 m

Woodiness :

variable

Physiology

The physiology of Tinospora sinensis is characterized by its complex metabolic processes and specialized adaptations for survival in diverse tropical environments. As a woody climber, its physiological activity is heavily centered on efficient nutrient transport through a robust vascular system that supports its climbing habit and extensive foliage. The plant exhibits significant secondary metabolic activity, synthesizing various bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, terpenoids, and glycosides which serve as chemical defense mechanisms and physiological regulators. Regarding its interaction with soil nutrients, Tinospora sinensis does not function as a nitrogen fixer; it lacks the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as rhizobia, required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form, and therefore relies on the uptake of nitrates and ammonium from the soil through its root system. Its photosynthetic efficiency and transpiration rates are finely tuned to regulate water use and carbon assimilation, allowing it to maintain metabolic homeostasis even under fluctuating environmental conditions.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Reproduction

Reproduction in Tinospora sinensis is primarily achieved through sexual processes involving the production of flowers, which serve as the reproductive organs of the plant. The species typically exhibits a breeding system where self-fertilization is absent, necessitating cross-pollination to ensure genetic diversity and successful seed set. This reliance on outcrossing suggests that the plant utilizes various pollinators, such as insects, to transfer pollen between different individual plants. Following successful pollination and fertilization, the plant develops small, fleshy fruits—often drupes—that contain the seeds. These seeds are subsequently dispersed, often by birds or other animals that consume the fruit, allowing the species to colonize new habitats and maintain its population density within its natural ecosystem.

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Tinospora sinensis has 1 reported plant parts identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include stem.

Stem

1. Natural product research
2. Fitoterapia
3. Journal of natural products

Chemicals

Tinospora sinensis has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include tinosinenside.

tinosinenside

1. Journal of natural products

Conditions

Tinospora sinensis has 5 reported investigations on conditions identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Leishmania donovani, dysuria, immunosuppression, rheumatoid arthritis, visceral leishmaniasis.

Leishmania donovani

1. Natural product research

Dysuria

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Immunosuppression

1. Fitoterapia

Rheumatoid arthritis

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Visceral leishmaniasis

1. Parasitology research

Preparations

Tinospora sinensis has 4 reported preparations identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include EtOAc extract, aqueous extract, ethanolic extract of the stems, stems.

Etoac extract

1. Journal of natural products

Aqueous extract

1. Indian journal of experimental biology

Ethanolic extract of the stems

1. Natural product research

Stems

1. Fitoterapia