Thunbergia grandiflora Roxb.

Thunbergia (Thunbergia grandiflora) is a vine 10-20 meters long from the Acanthaceae family that originates from India and China, now considered a dangerous weed in Australia despite being a popular ornamental hedge plant. In Tanzania and Uganda, this plant is used as green manure and firewood. Thunbergia is traditionally used to treat snake bites, dysentery, and diabetes in Asia and Africa.

Thunbergia grandiflora can usually be found growing along forest edges, roadsides, riverbanks, open forests, and plantations in tropical and subtropical regions, at elevations of 200-1,300 m asl. Its growth requires a full-sun position and is not tolerant of shaded conditions, with average annual rainfall ranging between 500-3,500 mm. This plant prefers fertile, moist, but well-drained soil.

• Roots have tuberous roots with a deep taproot, continuously producing shoots.
• Stem cylindrical, 4-angled, striated, pubescent, cross-section with a hollow pith. Young stems are green while older stems are quite thick, turning brown and becoming somewhat rounder in shape.
• Leaves opposite, blade shape varying, ovate to triangular-ovate, tip pointed to tapering, base heart-shaped (cordiform), sharply toothed margin. Upper surface dark green, glossy, pubescent, veins slightly prominent. Lower surface pale green, dull, hairless or pubescent, with prominent veins.
• Flowers large, trumpet-shaped, solitary, paired in the leaf axils or arranged in terminal, drooping (hanging) racemes with 2-4 flowers per node. Calyx green, ring-shaped, corolla purplish-blue or white, with 5 lobes, tube length 6-7 cm, pale yellow inside, narrowing at the base.
• Fruit a capsule, pubescent, subglobose at the base, upper part beak-shaped, splitting into two parts.
• Seeds small, ovate, flattened, covered with brown scales.

Propagation is done generatively (seeds) and vegetatively (stem cuttings, stolons).

Alkaloids, phenols, iridoid glycosides, isounedoside, grandifloric acid, essential oil (α-3-octanol, 3,7 dimethyl 1,6-octadien-3-ol, 2-methoxy-3-(2-propenyl) phenol, methyl salicylate, isopropyl hexadecanoate).

Treats snake bites, swelling from falls or broken bones, dysentery, cataracts, diabetes, gout, malaria, marasmus (energy and protein deficiency), ophthalmia (eye inflammation), postpartum preeclampsia, rheumatism, elephantiasis, heart disease, stomach complaints, menorrhagia (excessive menstruation), ear infections, treats drug and alcohol abuse, has antipyretic, anthelmintic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity.

• Prepare fresh thunbergia leaves as needed, wash clean with running water.
• Dry under sunlight or with an oven at 40 °C until moisture content reaches 10%.
• Blend into powder.
• Store in a clean, airtight container.

Bunga madia (Jakarta)