Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

disorders, contain taraxerol, its acetate
and lupeol.
Dosage ◮ Leaf juice—10–20 ml.
Rootbark powder—3–6 g. (CCRAS.)
Abrus precatorius Linn.
Family ◮ Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.
Habitat ◮ Throughout the country,
ascending to an altitude of about
1,050 m in the outer Himalayas.
English ◮ Indian Wild Liquorice,
Jequirity, Crab’s Eye, Precatory
Bean.
Ayurvedic ◮ Gunjaa, Gunjaka,
Chirihintikaa, Raktikaa, Chirmiti,
Kakanti, Kabjaka, Tiktikaa,
Kaakananti, Kaakchinchi. (Not to
be used as a substitute for liquorice.)
Unani ◮ Ghunghchi, Ghamchi.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Kunri.
Folk ◮ Chirmiti, Ratti.
Action ◮ Uterine stimulant, abortifacient,
toxic. Seeds—teratogenic. A
paste of seeds is applied on vitiligo
patches.
Along with other therapeutic applications,
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia
of India has indicated the use of seeds
in baldness.
Seeds contain abrin, a toxalbumin,
indole derivatives, anthocyanins, sterols,
terpenes. Abrin causes agglutination
of erythrocytes, haemolysis and
enlargement of lymph glands. A nontoxic
dose of abrin (1.25 mcg/kg body
weight), isolated from the seeds of red
var., exhibited a noticeable increase in
Abutilon indicum Linn. Sweet. 3
antibody-forming cells, bone marrow
cellularity and alpha-esterase-positive
bone marrow cells.
Oral administration of agglutinins,
isolated from the seeds, is useful in the
treatment of hepatitis and AIDS.
The seed extract exhibited antischistosomal
activity in male hamsters.
The methanolic extract of seeds inhibited
the motility of human spermatozoa.
The roots contain precol, abrol, glycyrrhizin
(1.5%) and alkaloids—abrasine
and precasine. The roots also contain
triterpenoids—abruslactone A,
methyl abrusgenate and abrusgenic
acid.
Alkaloids/bases present in the roots
are also present in leaves and stems.
A. fruticulosus Wall. Ex Wight and
Arn. synonym A. pulchellus Wall., A.
laevigatus E. May. (Shveta Gunjaa) is
also used for the same medicinal purposes
as A. precatorius.
Dosage ◮ Detoxified seed—1–3 g
powder.Rootpowder—3–6g.(API
Vols. I, II.)
Abutilon indicum Linn. Sweet.
Synonym ◮ A. indicum G. Don.
Family ◮ Malvaceae.
Habitat ◮ Throughout the hotter
parts of India. Found as a weed in
the sub-Himalayan tract and other
hills up to 1,200 m.
English ◮ Country Mallow, Flowering
Maples, Chinese Bell-flowers.
Ayurvedic ◮ Atibalaa, Kankatikaa,
Rishyaproktaa.
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