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Nothapodytes foetida (Wt.) Sleumer (Mappia foetida Miers), Icacinaceae, occurs in the wild in the forests of the Western Ghats, more frequent in the Maharashtra region. Crushed vegetative parts have a disagreeable odour, from which the specific epithet is derived.
This species has gained a considerable importance in recent times, for its alkaloid camptothecin, which is quite effective against a variety of cancers. Camptothecin, approved as an across the counter anti-cancer drug, is an expensive chemical, costing about US$ 170/250 mg. The mode of action of camptothecin is not well understood. An interesting issue is that camptothecin was originally known from the Chinese species Camptotheca acuminata, belonging to the family Nyssaceae, which is botanically very distant from the Icacinaceae.
The fruits are similar to those of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae), and are edible.
The seeds yield a fatty oil.
Nothapodytes foetida1 shows a twig in late flowering stage and Nothapodytes foetida2 shows the fruits.