Gen info
- Heptapleurum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. It was resurrected from Schefflera in 2020. It is currently the largest genus of Araliaceae with 321 accepted species.
- Taxonomic travels: The species was first described as Sciodaphyllum ellipticum in 1826 by Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume, transfered in 1865 to the genus Heptapleurum by Berthold Carl Seemann, then to Schefflera in 1894 by Herman Harms, where it remained for more than a century. In 2020, Porter P Lowry II and Gregory M Plunkett resurrected the genus Heptapleurum and transferred a large number of species from Schefflera to it, including this species. (19)
- Etymology: The genus synonym Schefflera, commemorates Jakob Scheffler, a physician in Poland. The specific epithet elliptica, means elliptic, referring to the shape of the leaflets.

Botany
• Lima-lima is a smooth vine, 2 to 6 meters high. Petioles are longer than the leaflets. Leaves are palmately compound leaves, with 5 to 6 leaflets. Leaflets are smooth and shining, leathery, elliptic to broadly ovate, of different sizes in the same leaf, 10 to 24 centimeters in length, 3 to 8 centimeters wide, with pointed tips. Flowers are greenish, 6-parted, 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter, borne on terminal, lax panicles 10 to 20 centimeters long. Fruit is globose and fleshy when fresh, 4 to 5 millimeters long with 6 prominent angles when dry.

• Growth form: A woody climber or straggling shrub, up to 10 m tall. Foliage: Alternate, stalked, palmate leaves have 4-7 leaflets that are 6-18 by 2.5-10 cm. Flower: Greenish flowers are arranged in a 10-flowered cluster. Fruits: Fruits are round to egg-shaped, ripening from yellow or orange to black. (20)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- Common in secondary forests and thickets at low and medium altitudes, occurring in most or all islands and provinces from the Batan Islands and northern Luzon to Palawan and Mindanao.
- Also native to Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, Caroline Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Queensland, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya. (14)

Constituents
- The leaves yield oleanolic acid, lutein, fatty alcohols and hydrocarbons. (1)
- S. venulosa yielded a betulinic acid glycoside.
- Aerial parts of S. venulosa yielded two new triterpenoid saponins: 3-O-β-D-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2)--β-D-glucuronopyransyl oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopy-ranosyl ester(1)、3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→2)--β-D-glucuron-opyransyl oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (2). (11 )
- Study of leaves isolated a new 2,28-bidesmosidic lupane-type saponin, named heptaelipside A (1) along with four other lupane-type analogs (2-5). (see study below) (21)
- Study of leaves isolated one new 3-O-glycoside of betulinic acid, named heptaelliptoic acid A (1), together with one known betulinic acid analogue (2), and four other compounds (3-6).  (see study below) (22)

Properties
- Antiscorbutic, vulnerary.
- Studies have suggested wound healing, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antiprotozoal, hepatoprotective, α-amylase, α-glucosidase inhibitory properties.

Parts utilized
Leaves, bark.

Uses
Folkloric
- Bark is used for treatment of coughs.
- Used for asthma, liver diseases, rheumatism, arthritis, sprains, toothache, wounds.
- Used for fever and inflammation.
- Used as tonic.
- Decoction of leaves used as antiscorbutic.
- Resin used as vulnerary.
- In India, roots mixed with rice, eaten to cure dropsy.
- In Thailand, used as ingredient in post-partum baths and food supplements. (10)
- In Laos, stem bark used for rheumatism; also used as tonic. (15)
- In India, leaves used in treatment of bone fractures.

Studies
• Secondary Metabolites / Oleanolic Acid / Leaves: Study of diclhloromethane extract of leaves yielded oleanolic acid, lutein, fatty alcohols and hydrocarbons from the leaves of Schefflera odorata. Some of the biological activities of the plant may be attributed to oleanolic acid. (1)
• Wound Healing / Lectins: Philippine study reports the potential of leaves of two medicinal plants - Pithecellobium dulce and Schefflera odorata as available and inexpensive sources of lectins and suggests further studies for its wound healing properties. (3)
• Lectins / Leaves: Study extracted a lectin from the leaves of Schefflera odorata, non-blood type specific and non-blood group specific. The lectin was a glycoprotein containing 2.33% total sugars. (5)
• Saponin / Cell-Signaling Pathway Modulator / Antioxidant / Immunomodulatory: Study evaluating the mechanisms of how saponins from leaf extracts of S. odorata modulate cell signaling pathways suggest: (1) leaf extracts act as an extracellular signal switching off extracellular enzymes and (2) induction of apoptosis through signal transmission into the nucleus promoting DNA fragmentation of cancer cell lines. Study also demonstrated antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. (6)
• Anti-Protozoal: In a study of 10 lectins screened for cytotoxic activity against Acanthamoeba sp. (a keratitis-causing amoeba) and Tetrahymena pyriformis, lectins from Schefflera odorata and Swietenia macrophylla were found to possess high cytotoxic activity against the test organisms. (7)
• Cytotoxicity / Leaves and Roots: Study for cytotoxicity of air-dried leaves and roots of Schefflera odorata extracts showed an IC5020 µg/ml for all cell lines tested (A549, adenocarcinoma of lung; SL6, large cell of lung; Calu-1, squamous carcinoma of lung; Hep-2, epidermoid carcinoma of larynx; and L929, mouse fibroblast as control). (9)
• Lupane Triterpenoids: Study yielded two new lupane triterpenoids, viz., 3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-27-oxo-betulinic acid-28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 3-O-β-D-glucuronopyranosyl-27-oxo-betulinic acid-28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2). (12)
• Hepatoprotective / Antioxidant: Study evaluated the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extracts of S. venulosa and S. wallichiana leaves on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in male albino rats. Results showed S. venulosa aqueous extract has potent antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity when compared to AESW. (13)
• Antistress / Antioxidant / Bark and Leaves: Study of ethanol extract of bark and leaves showed showed antistress effect on mice at oral doses of 158 and 167 mg/kbw, respectively. The bark was more effective than the leaves, with efficacy increasing with doses. Both extracts showed in vitro antioxidant activity at 50-100 mcg/ml, with the bark showing greater effect than the leaves. The saponin extract of the bark exhibited antioxidant effects at 5-25 mcg/mL. The saponins may be th chemical constituent responsible for the antioxidant activity. (17)
• α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase Inhibitory / Leaves: Study of leaves isolated a new 2,28-bidesmosidic lupane-type saponin, named heptaelipside A (1) along with four other lupane-type analogs (2-5). All compounds were evaluated for α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition activities. Compound 3 exhibited stronger activities against both α-glucosidase and α-amylase (IC50s 15.53 and26.93 µM) than acarbose standard (IC50s 214.50 and 143.48 µM). (21)
• Heptaelliptoic Acid A / Leaves: α-Glucosidase and α-Amylase Inhibitory / Leaves: Study of leaves isolated one new 3-O-glycoside of betulinic acid, named heptaelliptoic acid A (1), together with one known betulinic acid analogue (2), and four other compounds (3-6).  Compounds 2-4  displayed significant in vitro α-glucosidase (IC50a 11.53, 28.75, and 10.90 µM, respectively, better s than acarbose (IC50 214.5 µM). (22)

Availability
Wild-crafted.