Vergara, Dinslee E.3Bio6Pharmacological profile and Distribution of Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)Ipomoea aquatica, known locally as kangkong, is another species of the family Convulaceae and can be described as an aquatic or semiaquatic plant. These can be found trailing on mud or moist soil along streams and marshes but may also be found floating on bodies of water (Prasad, Shivamurthy & Aradhya, 2008). It can grow rapidly spreading through waterways forming floating mats that can block water flow and passage of small water crafts. The USDA categorized Ipomoea aquatica as a noxius weed and is included in prohibited aquatic plant list. Ipomoea aquatica is a herbaceous trailing shiny vine with milky sap. The stems are hollow, rooting at nodes, usually found trailing in moist soil or floating in aquatic locations .The leaves are alternate, simple, in the shape of arrow heads about 314 cm (16 in) long. The hollow vines float on water and the leaves are held above the water line. The flowers bears trumpet like shape whose petals are white or pink-lilac with mauve color at the center. The seed has oval or spherical pods that contains 1 to 4 gray seeds which may be used for planting. The first known reference of the recordings of I. aquatica came from a book entitled A Description of the Plants in the South, authored by Chi Han, stating that it originated and is common in the southern parts of China (Prasad et al., 2008 & Edie & Ho, 1969) while others stated otherwise that it originated from India (Austin, 2008 & Herklots, 1972). It is widely distributed, however in parts of Tropical Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Africa and Australia. It is grown wildly as weed in India and USA while it is grown commercially in parts Southeast Asia (Prasad et al., 2008). Records were found of water spinach being cultivated in Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Guinea, Okinawa, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam (Clarke 1885, Cornelius et al. 1985, French 1986, Herklots 1972, Heyne 1927, Manandhar 2002, Walker 1976, Watt 1889 [1972], Westphal 1993, Wiser 1955, McDonald pers. comm. 2006). In many of these places, growing of the food is deeply embedded in local cultures. While the species is cultivated in places not in the core of its range, like northern Australia and Hawaii, there I. aquatica is associated with diaspora from southeastern Asian countries, particularly China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and western Malaysia. It is used used as a laxative (Van Valkkenburg, 2001) . Eating the plant is thought to aid in getting to sleep and eating sufficient quantities bring on drowsiness (Pers. Comm. 2006). In South-eastern Asia, I. aquatica is considered as tonic. In Africa and in Sri lanka the herb is used to treat diabetes (Iwu, 1993). It is also used to treat abscesses, mental illness in Tanzania and intestinal problems in Somalia (Malavidhane, 2000). In countries such as Borneo, Cambodia and Malaysia, it is used as a poultice to treat delirium and boils while in other places such as Burma, India and Indonesia, its juice extracts are used as an emetic in treating poison from opium, arsenic and ingesting polluted water (Austin, 2008). In Sudan (Western Kordofan) the herb is used to treat stomach and intestinal troubles. Some, however, warn against too much consumption of kangkong since it would lead to the cause of leukorrhoea in females (Naples, 2005).

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