Thursday, September 10, 2015

Dioscorea dregeana




Malayalam name:  Ketahakka  (കേതക്ക )

Dioscorea dregeana is a perennial, herbaceous creeper.
 It has a slightly thorny stem growing annually from a fleshy, tuberous rootstock.


The leaves are large, alternate, 3-foliolate.
The tuber is highly toxic.  Human deaths have been reported after the use of the plant as famine food or as medicine.
But the tribes use its tuber as medicine. It is  use it as a sedative in the treatment of epilepsy, hysteria, insomnia and acute psychosis. 

For using the tubers, tubers are cut in to small pieces, filled 

in gunny bags and put in to the running water for 3-4 days.

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