Perennial vine, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., Celastraceae; used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Medicinal formulations are prepared from the skinned root; other plant parts such as the leaves, stem, flowers and root skin are poisonous. Has also been used as an insecticide. Habit. China, Japan, Korea. Constit. >350 terpenoids, especially triptolide, celastrol, q.q.v., pristimerin, friedelanes, oleananes, β-sitosterol. Comprehensive description of chemistry and pharmacology of constituents: A. M. Brinker et al., Phytochemistry 68, 732-766 (2007) DOI PubMed. Antiangiogenic activity: M.-F. He et al., J. Ethnopharmacol. 121, 61 (2009) DOI PubMed. Clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis: P. E. Lipsky, X.-L. Tao, Semin. Arthritis Rheum. 26, 713 (1997) DOI PubMed; X. Tao et al., Arthritis Rheum. 46, 1735 (2002) DOI PubMed; P. H. Canter et al., Phytomedicine 13, 371 (2006) DOI PubMed.