Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani · Western
Rosary pea (Abrus precatorius), of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family. Slender woody twining vine with feathery pinnate leaves; native range: Tropical Asia, now pantropical as a weed of hedges and waste ground. Globally recognized as gunja / raktika in Sanskrit, ghunghchi / ratti in Hindi, xiang si zi (相思子) in Chinese, ayn al-dik (cock's-eye) in Arabic, and jequirity; crab's-eye in English. The part used is seed (only after purification), root, leaf. Hard, glossy scarlet seeds each capped with a jet-black eye; the whole plant acrid, the seed sweetish then deadly if its coat is broken and chewed.
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.
ROSARY PEA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- rosary pea
- Scientific name
- Abrus precatorius L.
- Family
- Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Form
- Part used
- seed (only after purification), root, leaf
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter
- Ayurveda
- dominant: bitter (tikta) · then: pungent (katu) · astringent (kashaya)
- Unani
- bitter, acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral (ping)
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd–3rd degree)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat and resolves toxicity; kills lice and parasites (external use only)
- Ayurveda
- keshya (hair-restorative), krimighna (antiparasitic), vedanasthapana (analgesic); a visha (poison) turned medicine only when purified; kapha-vata-hara
- Western
- a violent irritant — the seed-paste (jequirity) was historically dropped into the eye to raise 'jequirity ophthalmia' in the treatment of trachomatous pannus
- Unani
- mohallil (resolvent), a reputed abortifacient (hence proscribed), applied externally in alopecia and stubborn skin disease
Cautions
- Contraindications
- internal use in pregnancy is strictly forbidden (abortifacient); not for unsupervised use in any form
- Toxicity
- the seeds contain abrin, a lethal toxalbumin — a single well-chewed seed can kill an adult; intact swallowed seeds may pass harmlessly, broken ones are deadly
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