Abuta Whole Vine

Cissampelos pariera

Main action: Antispasmodic, antihemorrhagic (reduce bleeding), muscle
relaxant, uterine relaxant, antiviral
Main uses: For menstrual problems (pain, cramps, excessive bleeding,
fibroids, endometriosis); as a general antispasmodic and muscle-relaxer
(asthma, stomach cramps, muscle pain/strains, irritable bowel syndrome,
diverticulitis); for bacterial and viral upper respiratory infections, cold, flu; for
kidney support (kidney stones, kidney/urinary infections and pain); as a
strong antioxidant and cellular protector in cancer, viral and bacterial
infections
Cautions: It relaxes the uterus and is contraindicated in pregnancy. It may
also potentiate medications used to treat hypertension.

Abuta is a woody, climbing rainforest vine with leaves up to 30 cm long. It produces inedible, dark, grape-sized berries. It belongs to the genus Cissampelos, of which thirty to forty species are represented in the tropics. Abuta vine is blackish-brown and tough; when freshly cut it has a waxy luster. Abuta is found throughout the Amazon in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia, and it is cultivated by many to beautify their gardens.

The common name of this plant has caused some confusion in herbal commerce today. In Brazil, this plant is well known as abutua, and in Peru it is known as abuta or barbasco. References to abuta in herbal commerce today may apply to either Cissampelos pariera or to a completely different plant, Abuta grandiflora. Another tropical vine, Abuta grandiflora, also has the common name of abuta in South America, but this is a very different plant with different chemicals and uses in herbal medicine. This plant is referred to in Peru as chiric sanago as well as abuta (hence the confusion).

Abuta (Cissampelos pariera) is commonly referred to as the midwives' herb throughout South America because of its long history of use for all types of women's ailments. The vine or root of abuta is used in tropical countries to prevent a threatened miscarriage and to stop uterine hemorrhages after childbirth. Midwives in the Amazon still carry abuta with them for menstrual cramps and pre- and postnatal pain, excessive menstrual bleeding, and uterine hemorrhaging. Abuta is also believed to aid poor digestion, drowsiness after meals, and constipation.

Virtually all parts of the plant have been used by indigenous peoples throughout the South American rainforest for thousands of years for other ailments and are still in use today. Members of the Palikur tribe in Guyana use a poultice of abuta leaves as a topical pain-reliever, and the Wayapi Indians use a decoction of the leaf and stem as an oral analgesic. Ecuadorian Ketchwa tribes use the leaf decoction for eye infections and snakebite. The Creoles in Guyana soak the leaves, bark, and roots in rum and use it as an aphrodisiac. Indigenous tribes in Peru use the seeds of abuta for snakebite, fevers, venereal disease, and as a diuretic and expectorant. Amazonian herbal healers (called curanderos) toast the seeds of abuta and then brew them into a tea to treat internal hemorrhages and external bleeding. They also brew a leaf tea for rheumatism and a vine wood-and-bark tea to treat irregular heartbeat and excessive menstrual bleeding.

In Brazil, abuta is widely employed in herbal medicine today as a diuretic and as a tonic (a general overall balancer), as well as to reduce fever and relieve pain. It is often employed for menstrual cramps, difficult menstruation, excessive bleeding and uterine hemorrhages, fibroid tumors, pre- and postnatal pain, colic, constipation, poor digestion, and dyspepsia. In Mexico, abuta has a long history of use for muscle inflammation, snakebite, rheumatism, diarrhea, dysentery, and menstrual problems.

In North American herbal medicine, abuta is used for many of the same conditions as in South America as well as for inflammation of the testicles and minor kidney problems.

This information is gathered directly from
https://rain-tree.com/abuta.htm