Akebia quinata Identity & Plant Part
The botanical entity is Akebia quinata (Houtt.) Decne., family Lardizabalaceae, called chocolate vine or five-leaf akebia. The part used in this Akebia quinata extract is the stem; roots, leaves and fruit are not part of the product.
Mu tong is a name that covers more than one plant. A published survey of herbal shop material found stems sold as mu tong that were Aristolochia manshuriensis, known as guan mu tong, or Clematis, rather than Akebia. Aristolochia stems contain aristolochic acids, which are nephrotoxic and carcinogenic, so the botanical name on the specification is a safety identifier here and not a formality. Akebia quinata extract is therefore best described by its binomial, its stem as plant part and the form of the Akebia quinata powder, since a common name such as mu tong is not enough to identify the plant.












