Stephania

For other uses, see Stephania (disambiguation).

Stephania
File:Stephania cephalantha 玉咲葛藤 (天問) 001.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Menispermaceae
Genus:	Stephania Lour.
Species
See text

Stephania is a genus of flowering plants in the family Menispermaceae, native to eastern and southern Asia and Australasia. They are herbaceous perennial vines growing to around four metres tall, with a large, woody caudex. The leaves are arranged spirally on the stem, and are peltate, with the leaf petiole attached near the centre of the leaf. The name Stephania comes from the Greek, "a crown". This refers to the anthers being arranged in a crown like manner.

One species, S. tetrandra, is among the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called han fang ji (漢防己, "Chinese fang ji"). Other plants named fang ji are sometimes substituted for it. Other varieties substituted include Cocculus thunbergii, C. trulobus, Aristolochia fanchi, Stephania tetrandria, and Sinomenium acutun. Notable among these is guang fang ji (廣防己, "(GuangDong,GuangXi) fang ji", Aristolochia fanchi. Because of its toxicity, it is used in TCM only with great caution.

Toxicity

File:Stephania-delavayi Menispermaceae flowers.jpg

Female flowers of Stephania delavayi

At least some, possibly all, species of Stephania, such as Stephania tetrandra, contain toxic amounts of aristolochic acid and can cause renal failure and even death. It should not be taken with NSAIDs due to possible kidney damage or failure.

Chemistry

Chemical investigation of Stephania rotunda Lour. growing in Vietnam in 2005 led to the isolation and structural elucidation of three new alkaloids, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, thaicanine 4-O-beta-D-glucoside, as well as (−)-thaicanine N-oxide (4-hydroxycorynoxidine), along with 23 known alkaloids.

Selected species

There are about 45 species in the genus Stephania, native to the Far East and Australasia. Species include:

Stephania aculeata FM Bailey Stephania bancroftii FM Bailey Stephania brevipes Craib Stephania capitata (Blume) Spreng. Stephania cephalantha Hayata Stephamia corymbosa (Blume) Walp. Stephania crebra Forman Stephania elegans Hook.f. & Thomson Stephania glabra (Roxb.) Miers Stephania glandulifera Miers Stephania gracilenta Miers Stephania hernandiifolia (Willd.) Walp. Stephania hispidula (Yamamoto) Yamamoto Stephania japonica (Thunb.) Miers

Stephania longa Lour. - type species Stephania merrillii Diels Stephania oblata Craib Stephania papillosa Craib Stephania pierrei Diels Stephania reticulata Forman Stephania rotunda Lour. Stephania sinica Diels Stephania suberosa L.L.Forman Stephania subpeltata H.S.Lo Stephania tetrandra S. Moore Stephania tomentella Forman Stephania venosa (Blume) Spreng.

External links

• Flora of China: Stephania species list
• Flora of Nepal: Stephania species list