Cassytha filiformis: a parasitic climber of Odisha, India

Abstract: Cassytha filiformis L. is a medicinal parasitic plant belonging to the family Lauraceae. This plant shows a wider distribution in India. The species is a vine resembling the common parasitic dodder, the Cuscuta spp. It grows irrespective of the choice of host plant species. The host may be herbs, shrubs, woody trees and sometimes shows attachment to itself (auto parasitism) as it does to its host. Cassytha filiformis is used in various formulations in Ayurveda and folk medicines to treat malaria, urinary problems, nephritis, headache, hepatitis, piles, sinusitis, etc. It is also a rich source of phytochemical constituents such as aporphine alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and leucanthocyanins, etc. with therapeutic potential against diverse health problems. Keeping the importance of this parasitic plant, authors discussed here the uses and its pathogenicity to the host plants