Abrus precatorius.   Jequirity, Indian liquorice, Crab's eye, Lucky bean, Love bean, Prayer bean Family: Fabiaceae (Pea family) 
The highly toxic seeds of that species are used to make jewellery.

PART USED: Seed- Prayer Beads     TOXICITY: VERY TOXIC
ACTIONS- internal use not recommended due to poisonous nature
1. Irritant.[1]
2. Abortifacient, teratogenic (cause defects in developing fetus).[3] Abortion- Australian aborigines.[11]
INDICATIONS- internal use not recommended due to poisonous nature
1. Chronic granular conjunctivitis- though this use has been abandoned.[1]
2. Contraceptive- though this cannot be recommended as it is so poisonous.[1]
3. Opthalmalgia- in India and Brazil.[4] Trachoma (bacterial infection of the eyes)- using a sterile solution obtained from the seeds has been used in Western medicine.[5]
   
PART USED: Root
FLAVOR: Bitter, acrid, leaving a fainly sweet after-taste.
ACTIONS
1. Soothing lung medicine for catarrh and coughs.[2,4]
INDICATIONS
1. Cararrh and cough and as a blood diluant,[2,4] being used in India and Java as a subsitute for licorice.[2,4]
DESCRIPTION: Long and woody, pale reddish-brown externally and yellowish internally. It has a thin bark, a peculiarly disagreeable odor.

PART USED: Leaf
ACTIONS
1. Soothing medicine for catarrh and coughs- used as a substitute for licorice, in a similar way to the root.[2,4]
INDICATIONS
1. Sprue- (malabsorption disease commonly found in tropical regions, marked with abnormal flattening of the villi and inflammation of the lining of the small intestine).[1]
2. Externally: swellings- leaves can be mixed with honey and applied.[4]

HABITAT: Mainly on sandy soils
ORIGIN: India, South America, West Africa. Just behind the beaches of tropical Queensland, Northern Territory, andk Northern Western Australia.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial woody climbing shrub that often twines around other plants, growing to the height of 1 m. It has tough branches and alternate compound leaves consisting of seven to fifteen pair of oblong leaflets, about 12 mm long. Leaflets are thin and bright green. Pink, white or purple "peaflower-like" blossoms occur in groups either in the end of branchlets or along branches. Flower petioles are about 2.5 cm long. The fruit is a pod, 4-5 cm long and 12 mm wide, dark grey or brown in color and when ripe containing several "crab's eyes", that is, scarlet seeds with a large black spot at their base. They are rounded, hard, shiny and about 6 mm in diameter. On rare occasions the seeds may be white without any spotting.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Constituents.

Research.
Abrin is the toxic agent; it causes agglutination of erythrocytes, haemolysis and enlargement of the lymph glands and has caused fatalities.[1]
References

[1] Medicinal Plants of Tropical West Africa. B. Oliver-Bever. Pub. Cambridge University Press (1986) UK

Abrus precatorius-Effective detoxification

Acute demyelinating encephalitis due to Abrus precatorius poisoning – complete recovery after steroid therapy
Ratnakar Sahoo, Abdoul Hamide, S. Deepak Amalnath & B. Srikant Narayana
Abstract
Introduction. Poisoning from Abrus precatorius is attributed to a toxalbumin (abrin) that acts by inhibiting protein synthesis and rarely can cause immuno-mediated demyelination. We report a case of abrin poisoning with demyelination. Case report. A 19-year-old man presented with a history of ingesting crushed Abrus precatorius seeds following a family quarrel. He developed vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhea, followed by a seizure and an altered sensorium. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed demyelination in the bilateral-medial temporal lobes. The patient was treated with supportive care, and intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisone, and recovered fully. Discussion. Abrin is an immuno-modulator that may cause immune-mediated demyelination. We report the clinical course of a patient with demyelination after abrin poisoning, treated with corticosteroids, and document his clinical recovery. Conclusion. Demyelination is a rare complication of Abrus precatorius poisoning. In our case, the demyelination was demonstrated by MRI. Although our patient appeared to recover completely following methylprednisolone therapy, the suggestion that methylprednisolone or other corticosteroids might be useful in treating this demyelination needs experimental verification and clinical validation before concluding that it is a beneficial therapy.
Pages 1071-1073 | Published online: 01 Mar 2010
https://doi.org/10.1080/1556365080233467 tandfonline.com

Ethno botanical and Phytophrmacological potential of Abrus precatorius L.: A review.
Narendra Garaniya* and Atul Bapodra
M. D. Science College, Porbandar, Saurastra University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Abstract
Medicinal plants are being widely used, either as a single drug or in combination in health care delivery system. Medicinal plants can be important source of previously unknown chemical substances with potential therapeutic effects. Abrus precatorius L. is commonly known as Gunja or Jequirity and abundantly found all throughout the plains of India, from Himalaya down to Southern India and Ceylon. This plant is having medicinal potential to cure various diseases. The roots, leaves and seeds of this plant are used for different medicinal purpose. It principally contains flavonoids, triterpene glycosides, abrin and alkaloids. The plant have been reported for neuromuscular effects, neuro-protective, abortifacient, antiepileptic, anti-viral, anti-malarial, antifertility, nephroprotective, immunomodulator, immunostimulatory properties, anti-inflammatory activity, antidiabetic effect, etc. As this is a potential medicinal plant, present review reveals chemical constituents of leaf, root and seeds of Abrus precatorius. The plant is considered as a valuable source of unique natural products for development of medicines against various diseases and also for the development of industrial products.
(PMID:25183095 PMCID:pmc4025349) Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2014 May; 4(Suppl 1): S27–S34.
doi: 10.12980/APJTB.4.2014C1069
PMCID: PMC4025349 PMID: 25183095 europepmc.org

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis due to abrus precatorius poisoning – A case report
Elizabeth C.Ninan Emmanuel James
Abstract
Abrus precatorius, commonly known as ‘Rosary pea’ or ‘Jequirity pea’ and known as ‘Shisham, Batrah-Hindi or Ain Alfreeth’ in the Middle East, grows wild in the tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The seeds of the plant contain one of the most potent toxins known to man. Poisoning with abrus seeds is a rare occurrence as the harder outer coat of the seeds generally resists digestion and such reports are scarce in the literature. We present here a case of a 22?year old lady who developed severe vomiting, diarrhoea and malena at the initial stages and later seizures and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis due to deliberate chewing and swallowing of abrus seeds. She was rescued with several sessions of membrane plasmapheresis and supportive care. The neuropathological process of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis due to abrus poisoning was reversed by plasmapheresis.
Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal
Volume 27, Issue 4, May 2019, Pages 521-524 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2018.11.016 sciencedirect.com