Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott

English names:

Big - rooted taro, giant alocasia, giant taro, kopeh root

Description:

Perennial herb, 0.5-1m. high. Rhizome cylindrical, long, stout, with many nodes. Leaves large, ovate - cordate with long stalks, surrounding the stem; margins wavy. Inflorescence in spadix, bearing male flowers above and female below. Berry ovoid, red when ripe.

Flowering period:

January - May.

Distribution:

Grows wild in forests and mountains.

Parts used:

The leaves and rhizomes are collected throughout the year. The leaves are used fresh. The rhizomes are boiled hard to reduce itching compounds, then sun-dried or heat-dried.

Chemical composition:

The rhizomes contain phytosterols, alkaloids, glucose and fructose.

Therapeutic uses:

The leaves and the rhizome are prescribed for the treatment of impetigo, furunculosis, phlegmon and snake-bite in the form of a liquid extract for administration by mouth, and their residue is used for poulticing. They are also used in treating colic and vomiting, in a daily dose of 10 to 20g of dried rhizome in the form of a decoction. Their external use as a plaster is effective against furunculosis.

Source: Medicinal plants in Viet Nam (Institute of Materia Medica - HANOI - WHO/WPRO, 1990, 444 p.)