Mudakathan (Cardiospermum halicacabum)

Mudakathan is Cardiospermum halicacabum, balloon vine — a thin climber whose leaves Tamil kitchens fry as a keerai and whose papery, inflated fruit looks like a little lantern. Hindi shops say kanphuti. The English “heart pea” nods at a heart-shaped mark on the seed, not at cardiology.

Botanical name: Cardiospermum halicacabum L.
Family: Sapindaceae
Tamil: Mudakathan
Hindi: Kanphuti
Sanskrit: Karnaspota
Parts used: Leaves, Whole herb
Habit: Slender annual or short-lived perennial climber with inflated fruit
Last updated: 2026-10-30

How to recognise Mudakathan

Linnaeus published Cardiospermum halicacabum. The family is Sapindaceae, with soapberry as a cousin. It is a slender climber with biternate leaves, tiny white flowers, and a three-angled inflated capsule that dries papery.

The seed is black with a pale heart-shaped hilum — the reason for the genus name (cardio-spermum). That mark is a teaching toy, not a medical claim.

Tamil mudakathan and Hindi kanphuti are the names when the seller means this vine. Other Cardiospermum species exist. A dried “joint keerai” without a fruit or a leaf photograph is a weak determination.

It is weedy after the rains, climbing hedges and wire. The papery, inflated, three-lobed fruit is the mark.

Leaf as keerai and whole-herb decoction are different preparations. A capsule brand that says only “balloon vine” has not said which.

Young leaves are tender enough to fry. Older leaves are tougher and more bitter. A keerai bundle should look like a living vine tip, not like a roadside hay.

The inflated fruit is three-celled. When it dries, the walls go papery and the seeds rattle. That lantern is the teaching mark; the leaf is the kitchen object.

Other thin climbers on a Tamil fence (Coccinia, Tinospora, Ipomoea) do not make a balloon. If there is no lantern, do not guess mudakathan from a leaf alone.

Traditional use of Mudakathan

Tamil household

Mudakathan keerai is a seasonal green.

Tamil culinary practice

Siddha and folk

Leaf and whole herb are household remedies for stiff joints, which is what the name mudakathan points at. That is folk use, not a rheumatology claim.

Tamil vernacular

Modern notes on Mudakathan

Cosmetic and “joint oil” brands have borrowed the Tamil name. A branded oil and a fried green are not interchangeable.

The practical modern issue is oils that smell of other herbs and print balloon vine on the sticker.

A keerai that is actually this vine should still show a lantern somewhere on the fence if you walk back to the house that picked it.

Mudakathan safety

An occasional plate of the leaf is the kitchen use. Seed and concentrated extracts are not a poriyal.

Sapindaceae relatives include plants that are not kitchen objects. Identify the lantern fruit before you cook a wild climber.

Pregnant people should not start extracts from a “joint” poster.

Ecology and sourcing

It is a pantropical weed. Conservation is not the story; honest naming of a keerai versus an oil is.

Related plants

Also in Sapindaceae

Questions about Mudakathan

Why is Mudakathan called heart pea?

The seed has a pale heart-shaped mark. That is a botanical curiosity, not a heart-medicine claim.

What is the Tamil name of Cardiospermum halicacabum?

Mudakathan.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.