SOLÉA HERBAL — Plants, their properties, your balance.

Identity & origin

BOTANICAL IDENTITY

The right name is the first step.

Ipomoea purpurea is documented in Kew’s SEPASAL inventory. This notice identifies the taxon and a selection of attributed historical uses. It does not recommend medicinal use. Source name: Ipomoea purpurea (L.)Roth.

Part used: roots · stems
Origin & distribution: See the linked taxonomic record for distribution; the origin of the documented practice is not inferred from the plant’s range.

Also known as: Ipomoea purpurea (L.)Roth, Convolvulus purpureus L., Ipomoea gerrardiana Rendle

The accepted name is reconciled with GBIF; historical source names remain visible as synonyms. Other species and plant parts are not interchangeable. A photograph cannot confirm an identification for consumption.

An illustration is not enough to identify a plant for consumption. Do not forage for a species based solely on this profile.

Uses & evidence

UNDERSTANDING THE USES

Properties & uses.

Reported historical use

Historical record: purgative

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving roots under “purgative” (use group 59944). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

Reported historical use

Historical record: purgative

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving stems under “purgative” (use group 59945). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

Reported historical use

Historical record: other blood system disorders/effects

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving part not specified under “other blood system disorders/effects” (use group 59943). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

The traditional uses described are not clinical proof of effectiveness. Evidence for one preparation cannot automatically be applied to another.

Precautions before use

BEFORE ANY USE

Precautions & contraindications.

This guidance does not cover every individual situation. Missing information is not a guarantee of safety.

The following warnings do not constitute a complete review of interactions or contraindications. An unstudied combination cannot be considered compatible.

Contraindications & precautions

Toxicity is reported in SEPASAL. No home preparation or ingestion.
A complete clinical contraindication assessment is not available in the references used here. Missing information is not evidence of safety.

Medicine interactions

Interactions have not been systematically assessed in this historical inventory. Compatibility with medicines cannot be established.

“Reported” does not prove causality; “possible” may reflect indirect evidence. “None reported” means none in the cited source, not that all combinations have been studied. Do not stop a prescribed treatment based on this profile.

Adverse effects

The historical inventory is not a systematic adverse-event review. Toxicity is specifically flagged in the source.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established here. No medicinal use is recommended.

Children & adolescents

No paediatric preparation or dose is validated by this notice. Do not extrapolate historical adult uses to children.

If symptoms persist, worsen or are unusual, consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact the emergency services.

SEPASAL, use group 59943 — Pooley, E. — 1998 — A field guide to wild flowers of Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Region GBIF — Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Roth

Sources & last review

CHECKING REFERENCES

Sources for this profile.

SEPASAL, use group 59943 — Pooley, E. — 1998 — A field guide to wild flowers of Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern RegionAccessed on 09/10/2026
GBIF — Ipomoea purpurea (L.) RothAccessed on 09/10/2026

Image: Rodrigo Osvaldo Borbon Vázquez · CC BY 4.0. View the original image and its licence. Image resized and converted to WebP.