Madder

At a glance

Origin / distribution: China, Lesotho, Nepal, India

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Abdomen, Alterative, Anodyne, Arthritis

Science studied: ALIZARIN, ARSENIC, CALCIUM, COPPER

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Rubiaceae

Scientific name: Rubia cordifolia

Common names: Madder, Heart-leaf Indian madder, Indian madder, bruidsgras, garance indien, indisk krapp, intwalalubombo, marena srdcovitolistá, munjeet, munjistha, rohtokrappi, ruiva-da-Sibéria, vaskloubossie, Марена сердцелистная, クルマバアカネ

POWO: 765218-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone

History

The source record documents this plant in China, Lesotho, Nepal, Elsewhere, India.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Abdomen
• Alterative
• Anodyne
• Arthritis
• Astringent
• Blood
• Depurative
• Divination

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• China
• Lesotho
• Nepal
• Elsewhere
• India

Documented cultural uses

• Abdomen
• Alterative
• Anodyne
• Arthritis
• Astringent
• Blood
• Depurative
• Divination
• Edema
• Emmenagogue
• Epistaxis
• Fracture

Cultural record detail

These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.

• Abdomen · China · "
• Alterative · China · "
• Anodyne · China · "
• Arthritis · China · "
• Astringent · China · "
• Blood · China · "
• Depurative · China · "
• Divination · Lesotho · "
• Edema · China · "
• Emmenagogue · China · "
• Epistaxis · China · "
• Fracture · China · "
• Hematemesis · China · "
• Hemoptysis · China · "
• Hemorrhage · China · "
• Hemostat · China · "
• Inflammation · China · "
• Jaundice · China · "
• Paralysis · Nepal · "
• Piles · China · "
• Refrigerant · China · "
• Rheumatism · China · "
• Rheumatitis · China · "
• Skin · Elsewhere · "

18 additional documented entries remain in the source record.

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Environmental Drivers of Metabolic Plasticity in Rubia cordifolia From the Western Himalaya: Implications for Phytochemical Diversity and Antioxidant Potential. · 2026 source ↗
• Study on the therapeutic effect of Rubia cordifolia stem on chicken diarrhea caused by Escherichia Coli. · 2026 source ↗
• [Regional differences in Rubia cordifolia based on non-targeted metabolomics and quantitative analysis of characteristic components]. · 2026 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• ALIZARIN
• ARSENIC
• CALCIUM
• COPPER
• 1,4-DIHYDROXY-2-CARBOETHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1,5-DIHYDROXY-2-METHYLANTHRAQUINONE
• 5,8-DIHYDROXY-2-METHYLANTHRAQUINONE
• 1,4-DIHYDROXY-2-METHYL-5-METHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1,3-DIMETHOXY-2-CARBOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1-HYDROXY-2-CARBOXY-3-METHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1-HYDROXY-2-METHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1-HYDROXY-2-METHYL-6-METHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• 1-HYDROXY-2-METHYL-7-METHOXYANTHRAQUINONE
• IRON
• MAGNESIUM
• MUNJISTINE

Legality

No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.

Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.

Reference images

Sources

Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

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