Cardiospermum halicacabum is a climber with incised-serrated leaves and white flowers all year round. It has very beautiful inflated seed capsules. The root is diuretic and demulcent. It is mucilaginous, but has a nauseous taste, and is used medicinally to treat rheumatism. Sanskrit writers describe the root as emetic, laxative, stomachic, and rubefacient; they prescribe it in rheumatism, nervous diseases, piles, etc. The leaves are used in amenorrhoea. Rheede says that on the Malabar Coast the leaves are administrated for pulmonic complaints. It is also used in homeopathy to treat eczematic skin. For this purpose, a mother tincture is made from the flowering parts of the plant. This is also processed into creams and ointments. The green parts of the plant are edible and eaten as vegetables. According to Ainslie, the root is considered laxative, and is given in dosages of half a cupful twice daily. It would appear that in rheumatism the Hindus administer the leaves internally rubbed up with castor-oil, and also apply a paste, made with them, externally; a similar external application is used to reduce swellings and tumours of various kinds. Its ingredients include triterpene saponins, halicaric acid, catechin tannins, terpenes, phytosterols, flavonoids and quebrachitol.