English name: Jequirity, crab's eye, Indian liquorice, Rosary Pea.
Hindi name: Rati.
Sanskrit name: Gunja.
The plant has been used in Hindu medicine from very early times, as well as in China and other ancient cultures. The seeds were formerly used in India to weight gemstones. In parts of South America and the Caribbean, necklaces of the seeds were traditionally made for infants to wear as a protection against illness. They are very attractive and hence are popular as jewellery, in rosaries and in noisy toys such as rattles, although this should be avoided because of their toxicity if ingested.
Habitat:
It is native to India, but now grows in all tropical regions throughout the world, most commonly in Florida and Hawaii, Africa, South America and the West Indies.
Parts Used:
Roots, leaves and seeds.
Traditional and Modern use:
In Ayurveda the plant is considered beneficial for the hair and the seed extract is used externally in the treatment of ulcers and skin affections. The seeds are poisonous and should only be given to patients after proper processing, as the toxic protein abrin is then denatured.
In India a hot water extract of the leaves and roots or seeds is applied tropically for eye diseases and taken orally as an emmenagogue.
The inhabitants of the Andaman Islands eat the boiled seeds.
In tropical Africa, a decoction of the root is taken orally as an antiemetic and for treatment of bilharzia, tapeworm infestation, gonorrhoea, asthma, in chest pain and as an aphrodisiac, and the roots are chewed for snakebite.
Seeds are taken orally by several Central African tribes for intestinal worms and as an oral contraceptive.
The water extract of the dried leaves and roots is taken orally as a nerve tonic in Brazil and powdered leaves are applied to cuts and swellings.
Dosage:
Leaf decoction: 56-112 ml.
Root powder: 0.5-1 gm.
Ayurvedic properties:
Rasa: Tikta (bitter).
Guna: Laghu (light), ruksha (dry), tikshna (sharp).
Veerya: Ushna (hot).
Vippaaka: Katu (pungent).
Dosha: Pacifies vata and pitta.
