Birthwort fruit

by Joe Hing Kwok Chu

Refers to any of the woody vine plants belonging to the aristolochia genus bearing showy, bad smelling, purplish brown to yellowish flowers. The name of birthworth fruit came from aristolochia clematitis, one of the European species, that was used as a folk medicine to aid in childbirth in Europe.

The Chinese herb ma dou ling belongs to the same genus.

Picture of ma dou ling, which literally means bells of horses