Birthwort fruit
by
Joe Hing Kwok Chu
Bierthwort fruit refers to any of the woody
vine plants belonging to the aristolochia genus bearing showy, bad smelling,
purplish brown to yellowish flowers. The name of birthworth fruit came
from aristolochia clematitis, one of the European species, that was
used as a folk medicine to aid in childbirth in Europe.
The
Chinese herb
ma dou ling belongs to the
same genus.