Gynostemma Pentaphyllum - Use in Ethnomedicine

Use in Ethnomedicine

The plant is best known for its use as an herbal medicine. Jiaogulan is most often consumed as a tisane (herbal tea), and is also available as an alcohol extract and in capsule or pill form. It has not seen widespread use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) because it grows far from central China where TCM evolved; consequently, it was not included in the standard pharmacopoeia of the TCM system. Until recently it was a locally-known herb used primarily in mountainous regions of southern China and in northern Vietnam. It is described by the local inhabitants as the "immortality herb", because people within Guizhou Province, where jiaogulan tisanes are consumed regularly, are said have a history of unusual longevity.