Coscinium, Tree turmeric, Columbo weed, False calumba

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 7 min read

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Article Summary

Coscinium fenestrated is a dioecious woody climber that belongs to the Menispermaceae family and in India, it is native to the Western Ghats, especially in high rainfall wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. It is considered to be a medicinal plant and its stem is used for Ayurvedic preparations. The species is ethno botanically used for treating various ailments such as skin diseases, ulcers, inflammation, jaundice,...

Key Takeaways

This article explains Yellow Vine Scientific Classification in simple medical language.
This article explains Traditional uses in simple medical language.

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

Reviewed content workflowUse writer and reviewer profiles for stronger trust.

Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

Coscinium fenestrated is a dioecious woody climber that belongs to the Menispermaceae family and in India, it is native to the Western Ghats, especially in high rainfall wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. It is considered to be a medicinal plant and its stem is used for Ayurvedic preparations. The species is ethno botanically used for treating various ailments such as skin diseases, ulcers, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।" data-rx-term="inflammation" data-rx-definition="Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।">inflammation, jaundice, hypertension, snake bites, and insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes.

Coscinium fenestratum is the source of crucial Ayurvedic raw drug Daru Haridra dating back to several centuries. The stem has been used for a long in South India and Sri Lanka as a yellow dye and bitter tonic. It has found its way to Europe as Tree Turmeric or False Claumba. It is a large, dioecious, and woody climber that belongs to the Menispermaceae family. It prefers humus-rich soil with good drainage and areas with more than 2000 mm rainfall having an annual mean temperature of 27 degrees Celsius. The liana requires 15 years to reach its reproductive stage.

Name	Yellow Vine
Scientific Name	Coscinium fenestratum
Native	South Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia
Common/English Name	Tree turmeric
Name in Other Languages	Bengali: Haldigach; English: Tree turmeric, Columbo weed, False calumba; Hindi: Jhar-I-haldi; Kannada: Maradashina, maramanjali; Malayalam: Manjavalli, Maramanjal; Marathi: Venivel, Jhade-halade; Sanskrit: Pitadaru, daruharidra, Darvi; Sinhalese: Bangwellgetta, Venivel; Tamil: Manjalkodi, Maramanjal, Pasamantram, Udaravi, Kadari, Atturam; Telugu: Manu pasupu; Cambodia: Vang dang; Malaya: Kopak, Kupak, Tol, Kunyit-kunyit babi, Kunyit-Kunyit, Akar kuning; Bangka: Akar kunyit; Java: Akar kuning; Borneo: Abang asuh, binap kokop; East Kalimantan: Upak-upak; Sarawak: Perawan, dipang; North-eastern Thailand: Khruea hen; South-eastern Thailand: Khamn Khruea
Plant Growth Habit	Dioecious, climbing shrub
Growing Climate	Tropical
Plant Size	10 meters long
Leaf	Leathery, shiny, simple
Flowering Season	August to October
Fruit shape & size	Drupe, globose or subglobose, 2.6 – 3 cm across
Fruit color	Brown, orange or yellow
Seed	Globose, 2 cm (0.8 in) across, whitish
Fruit Season	August to October

Yellow Vine Scientific Classification

Scientific Name: Coscinium fenestratum

Rank	Scientific Name & (Common Name)
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Ranunculales
Family	Menispermaceae
Genus	Coscinium Colebr.
Synonyms	Cissampelos aurea Koenig Cissampelos aurea Koenig ex Diels Coscinium collaniae Gagnep. Coscinium maingayi Pierre Coscinium miosepalum Diels Coscinium peltatum Merrill Coscinium usitatum Pierre Coscinium wallichianum Miers Coscinium wightianum Miers Coscinium wightianum Miers ex Diels Menispermum fenestratum Gaertn. Pereiria medica Lindl.

Its habitat spans South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia from India to Indonesia. It thrives in a tropical climate and prefers mixed as well as dense evergreen forest having fertile soil and high moisture. It is found in Asian countries such as Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. It requires long seed germination times and requires 14 to 15 years to mature and flower. Use the stem decoction internally for the cases of bites from monkeys, Brahmin lizards, snakes, and geckos. Root bark is used to dress wounds, cutaneous leishmaniasis and ulcers. Take the mixture of bark and honey internally to treat jaundice.

Distribution

The plant is endemic to India and is also reported in Vietnam. The species is restricted within India to the Western Ghats of Karnataka (Udupi, Coorg, Dakshin and Uttar Kannada districts), Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Wayanad, Idukki and Palakkad) and Tamil Nadu (Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Nilgiri districts) up to an altitude of 1000 m. The species is limited to semi-evergreen and wet evergreen forests.

Traditional uses

In traditional Siddha and Ayurvedic system of medicine, the plant is used to treat insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes mellitus.
Root powder and decoction is used to treat flatulence, indigestion, fever and liver diseases.
Stem extract or bark decoction is used for intermittent fevers.
Roots are bitter tonic, used to dress wound and also treat ulcers.
Stem extract is used in snake bites.
In coastal Karnataka, India, the plant is combined with other medicinal plants for treating herpes.
It is used for ulcers, wounds, burns, jaundice, abdominal disorders, skin diseases, fever, insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes, and general debility.
The tincture, infusion, and concentrated liquor are used to wash wounds and skin rashes.
The root bark is used to dress wounds and ulcers.
It is used for treating eye diseases and influenza.
Boil the pieces and bath with this water to provide relief from body pain.
It is helpful for excessive bleeding during menstruation and bleeding piles.
Apply the paste of Coscinium and turmeric for snakebite poisoning.
Apply Coscinium powder mixed with ghee to speed up healing of ulcers.
In Chhattisgarh, the traditional healers use the bark for treatments.
Internally take the combination of bark and honey to cure jaundice.
Use the bark for treating leucorrhoea and gynecological troubles.
In Peninsular Malaysia, the decoction is applied after childbirth.
For stomachache and colic, crush the roots or old parts and boil.
Use the plant to treat fractures.
The stem is used for skin diseases, ulcers, wounds, cough, tastelessness, abdominal disorders, liver disorders, intrinsic hemorrhage, snake bite, insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes, general debility, and fever.
Stem extract is used for snake bites.
Drink the decoction of fresh bark (by boiling bark in water) in an empty stomach in the morning regularly.

Other facts

It has a generation span of 25 years.

References

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

Write when the problem started and how it changed.
Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
Basic physical examination by a clinician
CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Drink safe fluids and monitor temperature.
In dengue-prone areas, discuss CBC and platelet count when fever persists or warning signs appear.
Use tepid sponging for high fever discomfort; avoid ice-cold bathing.

OTC medicine safety

For fever, common fever medicine may be discussed with a clinician or pharmacist.
Avoid aspirin/ibuprofen-like medicines in suspected dengue unless a doctor says it is safe.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Fever with breathing difficulty, confusion, repeated vomiting, bleeding, severe weakness, stiff neck, or dehydration needs urgent care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Medicine doctor / pediatrician for children / qualified clinician

Tests to discuss with doctor

Temperature chart and hydration assessment
CBC with platelet count if fever persists or dengue/other infection is possible
Urine test, malaria/dengue tests, chest evaluation, or blood culture only when clinically indicated

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?
Do I need antibiotics, or is this more likely viral?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first
If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story
Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician
A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests
Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse
If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.