Abro, Abrus precatorius, Bead Vine, Black-Eyed Susan, Buddhist Rosary Bead, Crab's Eye, Glycine Abrus, Grain D'Église, Gunja, Haricot Paternoster, Herbe de Diable, Herbe du Diable, Indian Bead, Jequirity Bean, Jequirity Seed, Liane Réglisse, Love Bean, Lucky Bean, Ojo De Pajaro, Pater Noster, Pois Rouge, Prayer Beads, Prayer Head, Precatory Bean, Regaliz Americano, Réglisse Marron, Rosary Pea, Seminole Bead, Soldat, Weather Plant, Xian Si Zi.
Jequirity is a climbing plant. The roots, leaves, and beans have been used as medicine. But there is no evidence that jequirity works to treat any condition.
Jequirity root is taken by mouth for asthma, bronchial tube swelling, fever, hepatitis, malaria, seizures, snakebites, sore throat, stomach pain, tapeworms, and to speed up labor.
Jequirity leaves are taken by mouth for fever, cough, common cold, flu, insect bites, and gonorrhea.
Despite serious safety concerns, women use jequirity bean to speed up labor, to cause an abortion, or to prevent pregnancy. Jequirity bean is also used as a painkiller in terminally ill patients.
The whole plant is used for eye swelling.
How does work?
Jequirity bean contains abrin, which is toxic and prevents cells from growing or functioning normally. Jequirity might work as birth control by blocking ovulation in women and lowering testosterone levels and sperm count in men. It might also help eliminate certain bacteria, tapeworms, or the parasite that causes malaria. Jequirity bean also contains chemicals that might slow blood clotting, reduce swelling, and lessen allergies.
QUESTION
Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See AnswerInsufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- Quickening labor.
- Causing an abortion.
- Preventing pregnancy.
- Pain in terminally ill patients.
- Eye inflammation.
- Asthma.
- Bronchial tube swelling.
- Fever.
- Hepatitis.
- Malaria.
- Seizures.
- Snakebites.
- Sore throat.
- Stomach pain.
- Tapeworms.
- Coughs.
- Common cold.
- Flu.
- Insect bites.
- Gonorrhea.
- Other conditions.
Jequirity is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. Jequirity contains a chemical called abrin. Abrin is a poison and can cause death, even at low doses. Symptoms of toxicity include stomach cramping, followed by severe diarrhea and vomiting that can become bloody. Other symptoms include a fast heart rate, as well as liver or kidney toxicity. Symptoms can happen within hours or appear up to several days later. Death can occur after 3-4 days of persistent stomach problems and other symptoms.
When seeds come in contact with the skin, they can cause inflammation, irritation, and severe eye problems.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Jequirity is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Jequirity contains a chemical called abrin, which is a poison. Also, jequirity might cause labor to start. Avoid use.
Children: Jequirity is UNSAFE in children. Children are attracted to the bright colors of the seed, which is unfortunate, since children are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of jequirity bean. Children can die after swallowing just one seed. If exposure to jequirity bean is suspected, get immediate medical assistance.
Bleeding disorder; Jequirity might slow blood clotting. In theory, this might make bleeding disorders worse.
Diabetes: Jequirity might lower blood sugar. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use jequirity.
Surgery: Jequirity might slow blood clotting or lower blood sugar. In theory, jequirity might increase the risk of bleeding and interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgical procedures. Stop using jequirity at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Jequirity might lower blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking jequirity along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.
Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs)Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.
Jequirity might slow blood clotting. Taking jequirity along with medications that also slow blood clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
The appropriate dose of jequirity depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for jequirity. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
SLIDESHOW
Vitamin D Deficiency: How Much Vitamin D Is Enough? See SlideshowNatural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Adedapo AA, Omoloye OA, Ohore OG. Studies on the toxicity of an aqueous extract of the leaves of Abrus precatorius in rats. Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 2007;74(1):31-36. View abstract.
Adelowotan O, Aibinu I, Adenipekun E, Odugbemi T. The in-vitro antimicrobial activity of Abrus precatorius (L) fabaceae extract on some clinical pathogens. Niger Postgrad Med J 2008;15(1):32-37. View abstract.
Agarwal SS, Ghatak N, Arora RB, Bhardwaj MM. Antifertility activity of the roots of Abrus precatorius, Linn. Pharma Res Comm 1970;2(2):159-163.
Andrews JA. Jequirity Ophthalmia. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 1884;3:679-685. View abstract.
Bagavan A, Rahuman AA, Kaushik NK, Sahal D. In vitro antimalarial activity of medicinal plant extracts against Plasmodium falciparum. Parasitol Res 2011;108(1):15-22. View abstract.
Bagul M, Srinivasa H, Padh H, Rajani M. A rapid densitometric method for simultaneous quantification of gallic acid and ellagic acid in herbal raw materials using HPTLC. J Sep Sci 2005;28(6):581-584. View abstract.
Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Maiti S, Maiti TK. Antitumor and proapoptotic effect of Abrus agglutinin derived peptide in Dalton's lymphoma tumor model. Chem Biol Interact 2008;174(1):11-18. View abstract.
Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Maiti S, Maiti TK. Inhibitory effect of Abrus abrin-derived peptide fraction against Dalton's lymphoma ascites model. Phytomedicine 2009;16(4):377-385. View abstract.
Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Maiti S, Mishra D, Maiti TK. Abrus abrin derived peptides induce apoptosis by targeting mitochondria in HeLa cells. Cell Biol Int 2009;33(7):720-727. View abstract.
Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Maiti TK. In vitro immunostimulatory properties of Abrus lectins derived peptides in tumor bearing mice. Phytomedicine 2009;16(8):776-782. View abstract.
Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Stevens SM, et al. Induction of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by Abrus agglutinin derived peptides in human cervical cancer cell. Toxicol In Vitro 2008;22(2):344-351. View abstract.
Cheng J, Lu TH, Liu CL, Lin JY. A biophysical elucidation for less toxicity of agglutinin than abrin-a from the seeds of Abrus precatorius in consequence of crystal structure. J Biomed Sci 2010;17:34. View abstract.
Chiang TC, Chang HM, Mak TC. New Oleanene-type Triterpenes from Abrus precatorius and X-ray Crystal Structure of Abrusgenic Acid-Methanol 1:1 Solvate. Planta Med 1983;49(11):165-169. View abstract.
Choi YH, Hussain RA, Pezzuto JM, Kinghorn AD, Morton JF. Abrusosides A-D, four novel sweet-tasting triterpene glycosides from the leaves of Abrus precatorius. J Nat Prod 1989;52(5):1118-1127. View abstract.
Cole HB, Ezzell JW Jr, Keller KF, Doyle RJ. Differentiation of Bacillus anthracis and other Bacillus species by lectins. J Clin Microbiol 1984;19(1):48-53. View abstract.
Davies JH. Abrus precatorius (rosary pea). The most common lethal plant poison. J Fla Med Assoc 1978;65:188-91.
Dickers KJ, Bradberry SM, Rice P, Griffiths GD, Vale JA. Abrin poisoning. Toxicol Rev 2003;22(3):137-142. View abstract.
Dickers KJ, Bradberry SM, Rice P, Griffiths GD, Vale JA. Abrin poisoning. Toxicol Rev 2003;22(3):137-142. View abstract.
Fernando C. Poisoning due to Abrus precatorius (jequirity bean). Anaesthesia 2001;56:1178-80. View abstract.
Garaniya N, Bapodra A. Ethno botanical and Phytophrmacological potential of Abrus precatorius L.: A review. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 2014;4(Suppl 1):S27-34. View abstract.
Georgewill OA, Georgewill UO. Anti-arthritic activity of abrus precatorious in albino rats. Internet J Laboratory Med 2010;4(1).
Ghosh D, Bhutia SK, Mallick SK, Banerjee I, Maiti, T. K. Stimulation of murine B and T lymphocytes by native and heat-denatured Abrus agglutinin. Immunobiology 2009;214(3):227-234. View abstract.
Ghosh D, Maiti TK. Effects of native and heat-denatured Abrus agglutinin on tumor-associated macrophages in Dalton's lymphoma mice. Immunobiology 2007;212(8):667-673. View abstract.
Ghosh D, Maiti TK. Immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities of native and heat denatured Abrus agglutinin. Immunobiology 2007;212(7):589-599. View abstract.
Hegde R, Maiti TK, Podder SK. Purification and characterization of three toxins and two agglutinins from Abrus precatorius seed by using lactamyl-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Anal Biochem 1991;194(1):101-109. View abstract.
Herrmann MS, Behnke WD. Physical studies on three lectins from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. Biochim Biophys Acta 1980;621(1):43-52. View abstract.
Jang DH, Hoffman RS, Nelson LS. Attempted suicide, by mail order: Abrus precatorius. J Med Toxicol 2010;6(4):427-430. View abstract.
Kaufman SJ, McPherson A. Abrin and hurin: two new lymphocyte mitogens. Cell 1975;4(3):263-268. View abstract.
Kim NC, Kim DS, Kinghorn AD. New triterpenoids from the leaves of Abrus precatorius. Nat Prod Lett 2002;16(4):261-266. View abstract.
Kimura M, Sumizawa T, Funatsu G. The complete amino acid sequences of the B-chains of abrin-a and abrin-b, toxic proteins from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 1993;57(1):166-169. View abstract.
Kuo SC, Chen SC, Chen LH, et al. Potent antiplatelet, anti-inflammatory and antiallergic isoflavanquinones from the roots of Abrus precatorius. Planta Med 1995;61:307-12. View abstract.
Lefar MS, Firestone D, Coleman EC, Brown N, Shaw DW. Lipids from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. J Pharm Sci 1968;57(8):1442-1444. View abstract.
Limmatvapirat C, Sirisopanaporn S, Kittakoop P. Antitubercular and antiplasmodial constituents of Abrus precatorius. Planta Med 2004;70(3):276-278. View abstract.
Lin JY, Lee TC, Hu ST, Tung TC. Isolation of four isotoxic proteins and one agglutinin from jequiriti bean (Abrus precatorius). Toxicon 1981;19(1):41-51. View abstract.
Lin JY, Lee TC, Tung TC. Isolation of antitumor proteins abrin-A and abrin-B from Abrus precatorius. Int J Pept Protein Res 1978;12(5):311-317. View abstract.
Lin JY, Lei LL, Tung TC. Purification of abrin from Abrus precatorius L. Leguminosae. Taiwan Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi 1969;68(10):518-521. View abstract.
Liu CL, Tsai CC, Lin SC, et al. Primary structure and function analysis of the Abrus precatorius agglutinin A chain by site-directed mutagenesis. Pro(199) Of amphiphilic alpha-helix H impairs protein synthesis inhibitory activity. J Biol Chem 2000;275(3):1897-1901. View abstract.
Mandava N, Anderson JD, Dutky SR, Thompson MJ. Novel occurrence of 5 beta-cholanic acid in plants: isolation from jequirity bean seeds (Abrus precatorius L.). Steroids 1974;23(3):357-361. View abstract.
Molgaard P, Nielsen SB, Rasmussen DE, et al. Anthelmintic screening of Zimbabwean plants traditionally used against schistosomiasis. J Ethnopharmacol 2001;74(3):257-264. View abstract.
Niyogi SK. Deadly crab's eye: Abrus precatorius poisoning. N Engl J Med 1969;281:51-2.
Niyogi SK. The toxicology of Abrus precatorius linnaeus. J Forensic Sci 1970;15:529-36.
Nwanjo HU. Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of aqueous extracts of Abrus precatorius Linn seeds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. J Herbs Spice Med Plants 2008;14(1-2):68-76.
Ohba H, Moriwaki S, Bakalova R, Yasuda S, Yamasaki N. Plant-derived abrin-a induces apoptosis in cultured leukemic cell lines by different mechanisms. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2004;195(2):182-193. View abstract.
Okoko II, Osinubi AA, Olabiyi OO, et al. Antiovulatory and anti-implantation potential of the methanolic extract of seeds of Abrus precatorius in the rat. Endocr Pract 2010;16(4):554-560. View abstract.
Olsnes S, Pappenheimer AM Jr, Meren R. Lectins from Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis. II. Hybrid toxins and their interaction with chain-specific antibodies. J Immunol 1974;113(3):842-847. View abstract.
Olsnes S, Refsnes K, Christensen TB, Pihl A. Studies on the structure and properties of the lectins from Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis. Biochim Biophys Acta 1975;405(1):1-10. View abstract.
Olsnes S, Saltvedt E, Pihl A. Isolation and comparison of galactose-binding lectins from Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis. J Biol Chem 1974;249(3):803-810. View abstract.
Panneerselvam K, Lin SC, Liu CL, et al. Crystallization of agglutinin from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 2000;56(Pt 7):898-899. View abstract.
Pappenheimer AM Jr, Olsnes S, Harper AA. Lectins from Abrus precatorius and Ricinus communis. I. Immunochemical relationships between toxins and agglutinins. J Immunol 1974;113(3):835-841. View abstract.
Pillay VV, Bhagyanathan PV, Krishnaprasad R, Rajesh RR, Vishnupriya N. Poisoning due to white seed variety of Abrus precatorius. J Assoc Physicians India 2005;53:317-319. View abstract.
Rajaram N, Janardhanan K. The chemical composition and nutritional potential of the tribal pulse, Abrus precatorius L. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 1992;42(4):285-290. View abstract.
Ramnath V, Kuttan G, Kuttan R. Effect of abrin on cell-mediated immune responses in mice. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2006;28(2):259-268. View abstract.
Ramnath V, Rekha PS, Kuttan G, Kuttan R. Regulation of Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 Expression in Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites Cells by Abrin. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009;6(2):233-238. View abstract.
Rao MV. Antifertility effects of alcoholic seed extract of Abrus precatorius Linn. in male albino rats. Acta Eur Fertil 1987;18(3):217-220. View abstract.
Roos O, Konz W, Daniel H, Waldeck F, Jennewein HM. [Isolation of cytostatically active proteins from seeds of Ricinus communis, Abrus praecatorius and Canavalia ensiformis (author's transl)]. Arzneimittelforschung 1980;30(5):759-764. View abstract.
Roy J, Som S, Sen A. Isolation, purification, and some properties of a lectin and abrin from Abrus precatorius linn. Arch Biochem Biophys 1976;174(1):359-361. View abstract.
Sahni V, Agarwal SK, Singh NP, Sikdar S. Acute demyelinating encephalitis after jequirity pea ingestion (Abrus precatorius). Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2007;45(1):77-79. View abstract.
Sahoo R, Hamide A, Amalnath SD, Narayana BS. Acute demyelinating encephalitis due to Abrus precatorius poisoning--complete recovery after steroid therapy. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2008;46(10):1071-1073. View abstract.
Shelley K, McPherson A. Crystallographic analysis of the phytoagglutinin from Abrus precatorius by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Arch Biochem Biophys 1980;202(2):431-441. View abstract.
Singh RB, Shelley. Polysaccharide structure of degraded glucomannan from Abrus precatorius Linn. seeds. J Environ Biol 2007;28(2 Suppl):461-464. View abstract.
Singh S, Singh DK. Effect of molluscicidal components of Abrus precatorius, Argemone mexicana and Nerium indicum on certain biochemical parameters of Lymnaea acuminata. Phytother Res 1999;13(3):210-213. View abstract.
Sinha R. Post-testicular antifertility effects of Abrus precatorius seed extract in albino rats. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;28(2):173-181. View abstract.
Sinha S, Mathur RS. Effect of steroidal fraction of seeds of Abrus precatorius Linn. on rat testis. Indian J Exp Biol 1990;28(8):752-756. View abstract.
Somerset EJ. SELF INFLICTED CONJUNCTIVITIS: An account of cases produced by the jequirity and castor oil seeds. Br J Ophthalmol 1945;29(4):196-204. View abstract.
Subrahmanyan D, Mathew J, Raj M. An unusual manifestation of Abrus precatorius poisoning: a report of two cases. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2008;46(2):173-175. View abstract.
Sullivan G, Chavez PI. Mexican good-luck charm potentially dangerous. Vet Hum Toxicol 1981;23:259-60.
Tahirov TH, Lu TH, Liaw YC, Chu SC, Lin JY. A new crystal form of abrin-a from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. J Mol Biol 1994;235(3):1152-1153. View abstract.
Tripathi S, Ghosh D, Maiti TK. Immunostimulatory role of tryptic digest of Abrus agglutinin. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2004;26(3):411-424. View abstract.
Tripathi S, Maiti TK. Immunomodulatory role of native and heat denatured agglutinin from Abrus precatorius. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2005;37(2):451-462. View abstract.
Tripathi S, Maiti TK. Stimulation of murine macrophages by native and heat-denatured lectin from Abrus precatorius. Int Immunopharmacol 2003;3(3):375-381. View abstract.
Wambebe C, Amosun SL. Some neuromuscular effects of the crude extracts of the leaves of Abrus precatorius. J Ethnopharmacol 1984;11(1):49-58. View abstract.
Wang JP, Hsu MF, Chang LC, et al. Inhibition of plasma extravasation by abruquinone A, a natural isoflavanquinone isolated from Abrus precatorius. Eur J Pharmacol 1995;273:73-81. View abstract.
Wei CH, Hartman FC, Pfuderer P, Yang WK. Purification and characterization of two major toxic proteins from seeds of Abrus precatorius. J Biol Chem 1974;249(10):3061-3067. View abstract.
Wei CH, Koh C, Pfuderer P, Einstein JR. Purification, properties, and crystallographic data for a principal nontoxic lectin from seeds of Abrus precatorius. J Biol Chem 1975;250(12):4790-4795. View abstract.
Wu JH, Wu AM, Yang Z, et al. Recognition intensities of submolecular structures, mammalian glyco-structural units, ligand cluster and polyvalency in abrin-a-carbohydrate interactions. Biochimie 2010;92(2):147-156. View abstract.
Yadava RN, Reddy VM. A new biologically active flavonol glycoside from the seeds of Abrus precatorius Linn. J Asian Nat Prod Res 2002;4(2):103-107. View abstract.
Zore GB, Awad V, Thakre AD, et al. Activity-directed fractionation and isolation of four antibacterial compounds from Abrus precatorius L. roots. Nat Prod Res 2007;21(10):933-940. View abstract.
Zore GB, Awad V, Thakre AD, et al. Activity-directed-fractionation and isolation of four antibacterial compounds from Abrus precatorius L., roots. Nat Prod Res 2007;21(9):838-845. View abstract.