Salacia oblonga
Salacia oblonga, known as oblong leaf salacia in English, ekanayaka in Kannada, ponkorandi in Malayalam, ponkoranti in Tamil, and ekanayake in Tulu, is a climbing shrub that tends to strangle other plants. It is native to India and Sri Lanka.Botany
Oblong leaf salacia is a climbing shrub with densely warty branchlets. Leaves are oblong, green, veined, and borne on stalks up to 1 cm long. The flowers are green-yellow, appearing in March through May, that yield orange-red berries. It grows primarily in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.Oblong leaf salacia is used to treat people with diabetes in traditional medical systems of India and Sri Lanka. Modern clinical trials confirm that it can indeed be beneficial in people with diabetes. Numerous mechanisms have been researched that could explain its antidiabetic effects.
The closely related species Salacia reticulata and Salacia chinesis are also used for people with diabetes.
