Gen info
- Deeringia amaranthoides is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae family.
- The speciesd was initially described as Achyranthes amaranthoides in 1785 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and reclassified as Deeringia amaranthoides in 1917 by Elmer Drew Merrill. (8)

Botany
• Ditiran is a slightly hairy or nearly smooth vine, reaching a length of 5 to 6 meters, with drooping branches. Leaves are entire, ovate to oblong-ovate, 7 to 14 centimeters long, with pointed tips and subtruncate bases. Racemes are slender, elongated, drooping, 20 to 40 centimeters long, and borne in the upper axils. Flowers are numerous, shortly pedicelled, greenish-white, with reflexed segments, and about 1.5 millimeter long. Stamens are white and erect. Fruit is ovoid, fleshy, red, about 4 millimeters long.

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Common in thickets at low and medium altitudes in Ilocos Norte to Batangas Provinces in Luzon; and in Mindoro.
- Also native to Assam, Bangladesh, China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., East Himalaya, Fiji, Hainan, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Marianas, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, New South Wales, Philippines, Queensland, Solomon Is., Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Tonga, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Western Australia. (2)

Properties
- Plant thought to be poisonous to a certain degree; the root can cause violent sneezing.
- As vegetable, cooking significantly decreases sodium content of leaves. (4)
- Roots are sternutatory.

Constituents
- Fruits yielded a new triterpenoid saponin, 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1----3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl (1----2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-3 beta-hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oate, with two known saponins, 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1----3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-3 beta- hydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid and 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1----3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-3 beta- hydroxyolean-12-en-oate. (1)
- Micro-mineral analysis of raw and cooked green leafy vegetables (mg/100g of edible portion) yielded: Fe 16.78 ±2.79 (raw) 16.14 ±1.78 (cooked), Zn 0.63 ±0.13 (r) 0.62 ±0.09 (c), Cu 0.37 ±0.05 (r) 0.43 ±0.05 (c), Mn 0.57 ±0.09 (r) 0.58 ±0.10 (c), Cr 0.075 ±0.011 (r) 0.076 ±0.013 (c). (4)
- Macro-mineral analysis (mg/100 gram edible portion) yielded: Na 16.5 ±1.4 (r) 12.3 ±1.8 (c), K 317.8 ±27.2 (r) 243.7 ±21.7 (c), Ca 251.7 ±24.3 (r) 243.7 ±21.7 (c), Mg 143.3 ±11.3 (r) 112.7 ±10.4 (c), P 52.7 ±4.2 (r) 37.2 ± 3.1 (c). (4)

Parts used
Leaves and roots.

Uses
Edibility
- In northeast India, leaf eaten as vegetable.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines decoction of leaves used for dysentery.
- In Java, mucous obstruction of the nose is treated by draining the nostrils with an infusion of the root with vinegar and alum.
- Leaf infusion given to children for treatment of chicken pox.
- Some consider the root "poisonous" to a certain degree, or an irritant, as it can cause violent sneezing.
- Leaves are applied to sores.
- Poultice of leaves applied on stomach area for stomach aches.
- In the northwest Himalayas, roots used as sternutatory; least as antiseptic, applied on boils and sores.
- In India, fruit used as anti-cancer; roots used to treat jaundice.
- In the Dakshin Dinajpur district of India, young mature stem along with stem of "Chotchota" Triumfetta rhomboidea is worn as a garland to cure jaundice. (6)
- In the northwest Himalaya, leaf used as antiseptic, applied on boils and sores. (7)
- In Arunachal Pradesh, India, the Adi tribes of Sille-Oyan use decoction or infusion of leaves for treatment of hemorrhoids and constipation. (9)

Studies
• New Saponins: Study of fruits yielded a new triterpenoid saponin together with two known saponins. (See constituents above) (1)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
A new saponin from Deeringia amaranthoides / Sati O P, Bahuguna S et al / J-Nat-Prod. 1990 Mar-Apr; 53(2): 466-9
(2)
Deeringia amaranthoides / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(3)
Medicinal Plants of Sewa River Catchment Area in the Northwest Himalaya and its Implication for Conservation / Mahroof Khan, Satish Kumar and Irshad Ahmed Hamal / Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 1113- 39, 2009.
(4)
Mineral content of some wild green leafy vegetables of North-East India / Pankaj Saikia* and Dibakar Chandra Deka / Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research, 2013, 5(3):117-121
(5)
Natural sources as potential anti-cancer agents: A review / Abhishek Bhanot, Rohini Sharma, Malleshappa N. Noolvi* / International Journal of Phytomedicine 3 (2011) 09-26
(6)
Local folk use of plants in Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India / Chowdhury Tanmay, De Sarker Dilip and Roy Chandra Subhas / International Research Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 3(5), 67-79, May (2014)
(7)
Medicinal Plants of Sewa River Catchment Area in the Northwest Himalaya and its Implication for Conservation / Mahroof Khan, Satish Kumar and Irshad Ahmed Hamal / Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 1113- 39, 2009.
(8)
Deeringia amaranthoides / Wikipedia
(9)
Plants Used as Ethanomedicine by the Adi Tribes of Sille-Oyan Circle of Arunachal Pradesh: Source for Livelihood and Medicine / Tantulung Tatan, Fullmoon Puwein et al / Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci., 20209; 9(12): pp 2941-2951

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