Witnessed by: TCM
Ji gu cao (Abrus cantoniensis), of the Fabaceae family. Slender twining sub-shrub of open scrub and roadsides; native range: southern China, especially Guangdong and Guangxi. Globally recognized as ji gu cao (鸡骨草) in Chinese, and Canton love-pea, chicken-bone grass in English. The part used is whole plant with root. Wiry stems set with small paired leaflets, faintly bean-like, the taste sweet turning bitter.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ABRUS
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- ji gu cao
- Scientific name
- Abrus cantoniensis Hance
- Family
- Fabaceae
Form
- Part used
- whole plant with root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- cool
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, drains dampness, soothes the Liver, relieves pain
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in cold from Spleen deficiency
- Toxicity
- the seeds contain toxic abrin and must be discarded; the aerial parts and root are the medicine
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