Gen info
- The genus Medinilla has about 400 species worldwide with about 80 species in the Philippines, widely distributed in the archipelago. (6)
- The genus Medinilla was named after J. de Medinilla, governor of the Mariana Islands in 1820.
- An understudied plant.

Botany
• Medinilla pendula is a small tropical evergreen shrub   or liana growing 1 to 1.5 meters. Leaves are oval, deep green, glossy, deeply veined, bearing large pendulous grape-like clusters of pink flowers. Flowers are pink and five-petaled. Flowers are followed by purple berries. Seed is small and black. Seedling has two cotyledons.

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.

Constituents
- Fruit contains flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, and polyphenols.
- Phytochemical analysis of fresh leaves yielded saponins and phenolic compounds. (5)
- Study revealed a flavonoid content 37.41 mg QE/ 100 g fw. (2)
- Phytochemical screening of fruit yielded alkaloid, steroids, flavonoids, saponins, and polyphenols with absence of tannins and anthraquinones. (2)

Parts used
Leaves.

Uses
Edibility
- Fruits are edible.
- In the Cordillera region, leaves are eaten.
- Used as garnish.
Folkloric
- in Benguet, decoction of leaves drunk for for treatment of coughs, cold, and flu. (5)
Others
- Used as forage.

Studies
• Antioxidant: DPPH testing of ethanolic leaf extract showed low antioxidant activity with IC50 of 255.363 µg/ml. (3)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.
- Cultivated.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Medinilla pendula / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Edible Wild Fruits in Benguet, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines / Racquel Barcelo /Electronic Journal of Biology, 2015; 11(3): pp 80-89
(3)
Evaluation of DPPH Free Radical Scavenging Activity and Phytochemical Screening of Selected Folkloric Medicinal Plants in Tinoc, Ifugao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines / M A C Galvez / International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 2015; 5(12) / ISSN: 2250-3153
(4)
Herbs from Distant Lands / Polska wesja: Adam F Arseniuk
(5)
Phytochemical Analysis of Selected Indigenous  Medicinal Plants in Quirino Province, Cagayan Valley, Philippines / Annalene Grace E Co, Fhrizz S de Jesus / IJRASET / ISSN: 2321-9653
(6)
Phenetic Analysis of Eighteen Species of Philippine Medinilla Gaudich. (Melastomataceae) Based on Morphological Characteristics and Phenolic Profile / Antonio L Rayos Jr, Lourdes B Cardenas et al / Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology, 2015; Vol 10

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