Distribution and habitat: Found through out India

Botany: A slender twining shrub with sparingly pilose stems and branches. 

• Leaves: Simple, alternate, petioles long, lamina peltate, glabrous above, pale or glaucous below with the nerves puberulous. 
• Flower: Small, greenish in axillary panicles; calyx globose or broadly campanulate, petals 4-8, more or less connate, anthers 6-8 celled.
• Fruits: Ovoid drupes, endocarp horse- shoe shaped, seeds curved.
• Root: Tuberous root is cylindrical, irregularly curved, with greyish brown surface and white starchy cortex. On drying, the surface becomes dark brown and wrinkled and the cortex yellowish grey.

Properties: Thermogenic, carminative, depurative

Chemical constituents: Root contains cycleapeltine, cycleadrine, cycleacurine, tetrandrine etc. Leaves contain thymol,  cycleanine, bebeerines, hayatinin, hayatidin and hayatin.

Uses: Cardiac disorder bronchitis, painful swellings, and splenomegaly. dandruff, burning sensation of the eye and fever, and are used in the place of soap 

Formulations: Pathadi churnum

Propagation: Seeds and cuttings.