Gen info
- Secamone is a genus of plant in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1810. It has 150 species accepted. (1)
- The species is characterized by opposite leaves and a milk sap that exudes from broken stems and leaves.
- Secamone elliptica, also known as corky milk vine, cork vine, and secamone, is a species of vines or lianas, of the plant family Apocynaceae.

Botany
• Plants to 5 m, glabrous except for inflorescences. Branches pale gray. Petiole 2-5 mm; leaf blade elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or rarely ovate, 4-7 × 1.5-2.5 cm, papery, with translucent gland dots, base cuneate, apex caudate-acuminate; lateral veins inconspicuous. Cymes extra-axillary, to 6 cm, many flowered; peduncle flexuous, dichotomous, pubescent. Pedicel 2-4 mm, pubescent. Sepals ovate, pubescent. Corolla yellow or greenish yellow; lobes oblong, ca. 3 mm. Corona lobes falcate, shorter than stamens. Stigma head exserted from anthers. Follicles lanceolate in outline, 5-7 × ca. 1 cm, terete, glabrous. Seeds ovate-oblong, ca. 5 × 3 mm; coma ca. 3 cm. (Flora of China)

•  Stem: Vine stem diameters to 5 cm recorded. Twigs, petioles and leaves produce a milky exudate. Leaf blades about 25-55 x 8-28 mm, petioles about 2-9 mm long. Small reddish glands visible on the twigs close to the point of attachment of the petioles. Sepals about 1.25-1.5 x 1 mm. Petals about 2.5 x 1.5 mm. Stamens fused together to form a corona and column. Anthers about 1 x 0.75 mm. Pollinia two per locule.  Fruits usually paired, each fruiting carpel oblanceolate to fusiform, about 60-70 x 5-9 mm, flat on one side. Seeds numerous, each seed flat, about 7 x 2 mm. Plume about 25-30 mm long, attached to one end of the seed. Embryo about 5-6 mm long. Cotyledons elliptic, longer and wider than the radicle. (Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (3) (4)
- In Luzon: Albay, Batangas, Benguet, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quezon, Rizal; in Mindanao: Zamboanga; Mindoro; Palawan; Panay; Romblon.
- Also native to Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Western Australia. (3)

Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of various extracts of air-dried leaves revealed carbohydrates, tannins, flavonoids, coumarins, steroids, alkaloids, phenols, saponins, quinones, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, and phlobatannins. (see study below) (6)

Properties
- Study suggested antioxidant, antihypertensive properties.

Parts used
Leaves.

Uses
Edibility
- No reports on edibility.
- Generally not recommended for consumption. (see toxicity below)
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines,
- In Australia, aboriginal people use leaves, stems, and milky sap for treatment of wounds. (5)
- In traditional Nigerian medicine, roots and leaves used for treatment of fever, stomachache, and skin infections.
Others
- Toxicity: Like many belonging to the Apocynaceae family, the plant contains alkaloids and steroids, and potentially irritant milky sap. Stems bleed white sap when broken, and as with all milky-sapped plant caution is advised on avoiding eye contact. There are reports of Ostrich fatality from eating of seed follicles.

Studies
• Antioxidant / Antihypertensive / Leaves: Study evaluated the antioxidant and antihypertensive potential of various extracts of air-dried leaves of Secamone elliptica. DPPH activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. At 100 µg/ml, % inhibition was 58.28 compared to 89.32 for ascorbic acid. Estimated IC50 for S. elliptica was 83.0 µg/ ml, compared to ascorbic acid at 59.2 µg/ml. Considering the role of oxidative stress in endothelial dysfunction and elevated vascular tone, the results support plausible antihypertensive potential for S. elliptica. (6)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Secamone / Wikipedia
(2)
Secamone elliptica / Wikipedia
(3)
Secamone elliptica R.Br. / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(4)
Apocynaceae: Secamone elliptica / Co's Digital Flora Database
(5)
Australian tropical medicinal plants and their phytochemicals with wound healing and antidiabetic properties / Handa Muliasari, Karma Yeshi, Phurpa Wangchuk et al / Phytochem Rev., 2025 /
DOI: 10.1007/s1101-025-10132-7
(6)
Phytochemical Screening and Assessment ofAntioxidant and Hypertensive Activities ofPhyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. andSecamone elliptica R.Br. / Lawal Atinuke Adenike / World News of Natural Sciences, 2025; 62: pp 248-260 / eISSN: 2543-5426

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)