Indian Ipecac (Antamula)

Indian ipecac is a slender perennial climber of the Apocynaceae family that grows in the plains, forests and lower hills of India, including Kerala. It twines over shrubs with simple oval leaves and small purplish flowers. Botanists now place it in Vincetoxicum, though Tylophora indica remains the name used in most Indian literature.

Called Antamula in Sanskrit, it has a traditional place in Ayurvedic and folk practice, where the leaf and root are used in preparations that support the respiratory system. Its strong action means it is used only in measured traditional formulations.