Bandicoot berry (Leea indica)

Girang or bandicoot berry (Leea indica) is a plant species in Vitaceae, an upright shrub to a small tree, often with several trunks, growing 2-10 meters and sometimes up to 16 meters with a trunk diameter of about 19 cm, single root light brown and rigid.

L. indica has woody stems, branched, cylindrical in shape, vines and green when young. Compound leaves, minor lanceolate leaves, short stalks, serrated edges, pointed tip, rounded base, 6-25 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, pinnate veins, hairy and green. Leaf marks are clearly visible.

Compound flowers, forming panicles and umbrella-shaped in the leaf axils. Star-shaped petals, 2-5 cm long and whitish yellow. Torn-shaped crown. The anthers are white.

The fruit is round, 12 mm in diameter, when young it is green and when it is old it is purple-black. The seeds are small, triangular in shape and yellowish white in color.

It grows in primary rainforest, mountain, secondary rainforest, monsoon forest, coastal forest, mixed forest, teak forest, occasionally found in scrub, freshwater swamp forest and grasslands. Spread in the lowlands to an elevation of 1700 meters. Grows well in full or partial sun, preferring moist, fertile and well-drained soil.

Leaves contain flavonoids, steroids, saponins and polyphenols. Fruit contains flavonoids. Bark contains alkaloids, flavonoids and steroids. The roots contain flavonoids, steroids, saponins and tannins. The seeds contain saponins, flavonoids and polyphenols.

The root is useful as an antifungal drug, malaria, and stomach ache. The leaves are pounded until smooth and rubbed in places that are allergic or itchy. The leaves are pounded until smooth, then paste on the left and right temples to treat headaches. Ethanol extract has been shown to selectively inhibit herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.001-0.1 mg/ml.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Vitales
Family: Vitaceae
Genus: Leea
Species: Leea indica

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