Wikstroemia indica

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Wikstroemeia indica
The botany of Captain Beechey's voyage; comprising an acount of the plants collected by Messrs. Lay and Collie, and other officers of the expedition, during the voyage to the Pacific and Behring's (20396994182).jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Wikstroemia
Species: W. indica
Binomial name
Wikstroemeia indica
C. A. Mey.[1]

Wikstroemia indica (L.) C. A. Mey., also known as tie bush, Indian stringbush, bootlace bush, or small-leaf salago (Chinese: 了哥王; pinyin: liǎo gē wáng) is a small shrub with glossy leaves, small greenish-yellow flowers and toxic red fruits. It grows in forests and on rocky, shrubby slopes in central and southeastern China, Vietnam, India and the Philippines.[2][3]


W. indica is toxic[4] and the poisoning caused by W. indica leads to dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, abdominal pain and diarrhea.[5]

Medicinal uses[edit]

It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. As a traditional Chinese herb, this plant has long been employed as an antipyretic, detoxicant, expectorant, vermifuge, and abortifacient in clinical practice in China.[5]


An alcoholic extract of the plant was found to contain daphnoretin, chrysophanol, myricitrime and rutin.[6] The extract of W. indica displays antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro.[6]


  1. ^ "Wikstroemia indica (L.) C. A. Mey.". USDA ARS / GRIN. Retrieved 2012-02-26. 
  2. ^ "Wikstroemia indica (Linnaeus) C. A. Meyer". Flora of China. eFlora. Retrieved 2012-02-26. 
  3. ^ "Wikstroemia indica (L.) C. A. Mey.". Hortus Camdenensis. Retrieved 2012-02-26. 
  4. ^ Xie, W.Z. (1996). National Chinese Traditional Medicine Compilation. Beijing: China: People' s Publishing House. pp. 10–12. 
  5. ^ a b Li, Y.-M.; Zhu, L.; Jiang, J.-G.; Yang, L.; Wang, D.-Y. (2009). "Bioactive Components and Pharmacological Action of Wikstroemia indica (L.) C. A. Mey. and its Clinical Application" (pdf). Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. 10 (8): 743–752. doi:10.2174/138920109789978748. ISSN 1389-2010. PMID 19939213. 
  6. ^ a b Lu CL, Zhu L, Piao JH, Jiang JG (2012). "Chemical compositions extracted from Wikstroemia indica and their multiple activities". Pharm Biol. 50 (2): 225–231. doi:10.3109/13880209.2011.596207. PMID 22235889.