Kerala Jivanti (Adapathiyan)

Kerala jivanti, known locally as Adapathiyan, is a twining vine of the Apocynaceae family native from the Indian subcontinent to southern China. It grows in the forests of Kerala and the Western Ghats, with heart-shaped leaves, a milky sap, and fleshy flowers that are purplish inside. Botanists now place it as Cynanchum annularium.

In Kerala it is widely used as the source of Jivanti, and its root is valued in traditional Ayurvedic preparations as a nourishing, rejuvenating herb for general wellbeing. The root is the part used.