Salacia oblonga, known as oblong leaf salacia in English, ekanayaka in Kannada, ponkorandi in Malayalam, ponkoranti in Tamil, and ekanayake in Tulu, is a climbing shrub that tends to strangle other plants.[2][3] It is native to India and Sri Lanka.
![]() | This article needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (April 2019) | ![]() |
Salacia oblonga | |
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Conservation status | |
![]() Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Celastrales |
Family: | Celastraceae |
Genus: | Salacia |
Species: | S. oblonga |
Binomial name | |
Salacia oblonga Wall. | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Oblong leaf salacia is a climbing shrub with densely warty branchlets. Leaves are oblong, green, veined, and borne on stalks up to 1 cm long. The flowers are green-yellow, appearing in March through May, that yield orange-red berries. It grows primarily in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
Oblong leaf salacia is used to treat people with diabetes in traditional medical systems of India and Sri Lanka.[4] Modern clinical trials confirm that it can indeed be beneficial in people with diabetes.[5][6] Numerous mechanisms have been researched that could explain its antidiabetic effects.[7]
The closely related species Salacia reticulata and Salacia chinesis are also used for people with diabetes.[8]
Taxon identifiers |
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