Ada kodien (Cynanchum annularium)

Ada kodien is the twining milkweed long known to Indian botany as Holostemma ada-kodien, and now placed by Kew in Cynanchum as Cynanchum annularium. In Kerala’s Ayurvedic practice its root is one of the plants used under the name jivanti. That name is also given to Leptadenia reticulata, and the two should not be confused.

Botanical name: Cynanchum annularium (Roxb.) Liede & Khanum
Family: Apocynaceae
Tamil: Palaikkodi
Hindi: Jivanti
Parts used: Root (traditional, Kerala)
Habit: Twining milkweed; jivanti is a shop word
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Ada kodien

It is a vigorous climber with milky latex. The leaves are opposite, broad and heart-shaped at the base, smooth and fairly thick.

The flowers are fleshy, star-shaped and purplish-pink, with a raised ring of tissue at the centre. That ring is the corona the old name annulare, “ringed”, describes. They come in small clusters from the leaf joints.

Like other milkweeds it produces paired pods, called follicles, that split to release flat seeds with silky tufts of hair.

Leptadenia reticulata, the other jivanti, has narrower leaves with a fine net of veins beneath and small greenish-yellow flowers. It is a plant of drier country.

Traditional use of Ada kodien

Ayurveda (Kerala)

In Kerala the root is used under the jivanti name in classical preparations. Elsewhere in India the same name usually means Leptadenia. This is a case of regional substitution, documented in the pharmacognosy literature.

Kerala Ayurvedic materia medica

Modern notes on Ada kodien

Pharmacognosy studies focus on telling the jivanti sources apart by root anatomy and chemistry. Mislabelling between them is common in the raw-drug trade.

Demand for the root has reduced wild populations in parts of the Western Ghats, and it has been listed as threatened in regional conservation assessments.

Ada kodien safety

Do not swallow the latex or raw plant parts. Milkweed-family latex can irritate the skin and gut.

Ecology and sourcing

It climbs over shrubs at forest edges and in moist deciduous woodland, flowering in the monsoon.

Because the root is the part collected, harvesting usually kills the plant. Cultivated sources are the only sustainable supply.

Related plants

Also in Apocynaceae

Questions about Ada kodien

Is Ada kodien the same jivanti as Leptadenia?

No. Both are sold as jivanti, but they are two different species. Kerala tends to use this one, and most of the rest of India uses Leptadenia.

What older names does Cynanchum annularium go by?

Holostemma ada-kodien and Holostemma annulare.

Is the latex of Ada kodien safe to drink?

No. Do not drink it.

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.