Botanical atlas

Sapsanda

Thottea siliquosa

In the forest villages of the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka's wet zone, local healers have long known Thottea siliquosa as a quiet, unglamorous relative of the better documented birthworts. Its roots were traditionally dug and prepared as a folk remedy for snakebite, fevers, and stubborn wounds, and it held a place in some regional traditions as a means of bringing on delayed menstruation. These uses were passed down through oral tradition rather than formal texts, and the plant never achieved the wide trade or fame of its cousin Aristolochia indica, though the two were sometimes used interchangeably by healers who considered them close kin. Modern phytochemical study has since found that this family-wide kinship runs deeper than appearance, which is why the plant's history is remembered here but not repeated as a remedy.

Safety.

Thottea siliquosa contains aristolochic acids, potent kidney toxins classified as human carcinogens even after brief exposure. It should never be ingested in any form, including during pregnancy.