The Red Butterfly Wing (christia Vespertilionis): a Promising Cancer Cure in Malaysia

Recently, the use of Christia vespertilionis (L.) Bakh. f. decoction as anti-cancer agent has gained a lot of attention in Malaysia as an alternative medicine to the modern treatment [1]. This plant has been distributed and formulated as tea throughout Malaysia by traditional practitioners. It has gained a huge popularity among Malaysians, not only the cancer patient’s but researchers in Malaysia to discover the real potential of this plant. Christia vespertilionis is an ornamental plant Fabaceae and it is known as red butterfly wing, island peak, mariposa (butterfly in Spanish) or rerama which means butterfly in Malaysia (fig. 1). This plant is widespread in tropical Southeast Asia and it is assumed to be native to Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia. In traditional medicine, this plant is believed to treat snake bites, tuberculosis, heal bone fractures, increase blood circulation, bronchitis and cold [2, 3].