abrus precatorius : The abrus prectorius also called because Red » still called bean paternoster is a shrub climbing family of Fabaceae.
Other names common : cascavelle, Liane licorice, brown licorice, church seed, jequirity, devil seed, devil weed, soldier, pater noster.
This Liane is a plants climbing woody up to 50 m top and therefore the top of the most great trees.
La plants presents leaves alternate composed small flowers pale violet to Pink en clusters.
The leaves composed have 8 to 17 pairs of leaflets membranous, oblong ou oblong-obovate. THE inflorescences are 2 to 7 cm long, the corolla is Pink à purple.
The fruits are pods who often mix, s'twist en grappas et contain from 3 to 7 seeds very hard, scarlet with a tache black close trick.
Abrus precatorius may be inadvertently confused with the wood of condori (Adenanthera pavonina).
Toxicity and use : The seed is highly toxic. It contains abrin (*) (a set of 5 glycoproteins neighbors of ricin) which makes it one of the plants most dangerous au monde. Bite only one seed can be deadly for a child.
La toxicity of seeds was used au Vietnam , for suicide, hence the name vernacular “Tuong tu tu”, and in India, for poison arrows. Abrin was once used to treat trachoma (a bacterial eye infection).
The whole plant fresh ou dried was used to treat cough or dysentery.
En Democratic Republic of Congo, plants full (roots, stem et leaves together) is used to treat abdominal colic in newborns.
Like seeds de carob tree, seeds were used formerly by the Ashantis (**) ofAfrica as carats for to weigh theor.
In some parts of India, seeds porridge are however consumed because the baking disable the toxin.
(*) Abrin is an extremely toxic toxalbumin, which is present in the seeds of Abrus precatorius. In mice, the median lethal dose is 0,7 µg/kg body weight when administered intravenously.
(**) The Ashantis are a West African population living in Ghana. They are part of the large Akan group and are themselves subdivided into numerous subgroups. They speak Twi which is one of the Akan languages belonging to the Kwa language group.
À Réunion, seeds are also used in the kayamb or “caïambe”, a rectangular musical instrument made of bamboo hollow, which we move with our hands to have the "grainy" sound of the Maloya dance.
Very decorative, seeds are used for the manufacturing of rosaries (usage withorigin by name vernacular “paternoster bean”) or jewelry. If wearing such jewelry does not present normally no hazard, it is however strongly recommended de abstain to put them in appetizer or give them to jeunes children. In March 2012, wristbands sold au United Kingdom have been withdrawn du Brive market after some people have presented symptoms bypoisoning.
Distribution in the monde : The plants Abrus precatorius is native byIndonesia, but it is now found in New Caledonia in Madagascar, to the island Maurice, on the island of Réunion in Hawaii, riding a Amerique du Sud in Suriname, riding a Florida and also to West Indies.