botanical record · discovered
Crab's Eye
Abrus precatorius
Crab's Eye · Jequerity · Coral Beadplant · Indian Licorice · Licorice Vine · Love Bean · Lucky Bean · Minnie-Minnies · Prayer Beads · Precatory Bean · Red Beadvine · Rosary Pea · Weatherplant · Weathervine · Jequirity Bean · Cascavelle · Cascavelle, Liane réglisse, Réglisse marron, Réglisse marronne, Soldat · Coralillo asiático · Ervilha do Rosário · Ervilha-de-rosário · Indian licorice · Indian-licorice · Indian-liquorice · Jiquiriti · Jumbi Bead · Jumbie Beads · Jumby Beans · Kulales · Liquorice Plant · Luckybean Creeper · Luckybean Creeper / Rosary Pea
At a glance
Origin / distribution: India(Santal), Upper Volta, Ghana, Arabic, Haiti, Africa(Yoruba), New Caledonia, Africa
Cultural traditions: not documented
Recorded uses: Abortifacient, Anodyne, Antidote, Aphrodisiac
Science studied: ABRALINE, ABRASINE, ABRICIN, (+)-ABRINE
Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗
Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.
Names and identity
Family: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Abrus precatorius
Common names: Crab's Eye, Jequerity, Coral Beadplant, Indian Licorice, Licorice Vine, Love Bean, Lucky Bean, Minnie-Minnies, Prayer Beads, Precatory Bean, Red Beadvine, Rosary Pea, Weatherplant, Weathervine, Jequirity Bean, Cascavelle, Cascavelle, Liane réglisse, Réglisse marron, Réglisse marronne, Soldat, Coralillo asiático, Ervilha do Rosário, Ervilha-de-rosário, Indian licorice, Indian-licorice, Indian-liquorice, Jiquiriti, Jumbi Bead, Jumbie Beads, Jumby Beans, Kulales, Liquorice Plant, Luckybean Creeper, Luckybean Creeper / Rosary Pea
POWO: 469605-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone
History
The source record documents this plant in Elsewhere, India(Santal), Upper Volta, Ghana, Arabic, Haiti, Africa(Yoruba), New Caledonia and 32 additional places.
It records these historical or traditional applications:
- Abortifacient
- Anodyne
- Antidote
- Aphrodisiac
- Bilious
- Bite(Snake)
- Bladder
- Blennorrhagia
show 65 more documented entries
- Boil
- Cancer
- Chest
- CNS sedative
- Cold
- Colic
- Collyrium
- Conjunctivitis
- Tuberculosis
- Contraceptive
- Convulsion
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Diuretic
- Dysuria
- Emetic
- Emollient
- Enteritis
- Epithelioma
- Expectorant
- Eye
- Fatal
- Fatality
- Febrifuge
- Fever
- Freckle
- Gastritis
- Gingivitis
- Gonorrhea
- Gravel
- Heart
- Hemostat
- Hoarseness
- Homicide
- Hookworms
- Kidney
- Laxative
- Loin
- Malaria
- Myalgia
- Ophthalmia
- Ordeal
- Pectoral
- Poison
- Refrigerant
- Rheumatism
- Sedative
- Skin
- Stomach
- Sweetener
- Throat
- Trachoma
- Urogenital
- Venereal
- Vermifuge
- Ache(Head)
- Fracture(Veterinary)
- Insomnia
- Jaundice
- Masticatory
- Night-Blindness
- Puerperium
- Purgative
- Sprue
- Styptic
This summary is limited to the cited source record.
Origins and distribution
- Elsewhere
- India(Santal)
- Upper Volta
- Ghana
- Arabic
- Haiti
- Africa(Yoruba)
- New Caledonia
- Africa
- Africa(Zulu)
- Trinidad
- Gabon
show 28 more documented entries
- Malaya
- Ivory Coast
- C Africa
- Sierra Leone
- Java
- Eritrea
- Mauritius
- China
- Mexico
- Sudan
- "
- Chinese
- W Africa
- Cambodia
- Venezuela
- Dominican Republic
- Turkey
- Bahamas
- Samoa
- India(Gujarat)
- E Africa
- Guinea
- German
- Italy
- Dutch
- Cuba
- Tanzania
- Iran
Documented cultural uses
- Abortifacient
- Anodyne
- Antidote
- Aphrodisiac
- Bilious
- Bite(Snake)
- Bladder
- Blennorrhagia
- Boil
- Cancer
- Chest
- CNS sedative
show 61 more documented entries
- Cold
- Colic
- Collyrium
- Conjunctivitis
- Tuberculosis
- Contraceptive
- Convulsion
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Diuretic
- Dysuria
- Emetic
- Emollient
- Enteritis
- Epithelioma
- Expectorant
- Eye
- Fatal
- Fatality
- Febrifuge
- Fever
- Freckle
- Gastritis
- Gingivitis
- Gonorrhea
- Gravel
- Heart
- Hemostat
- Hoarseness
- Homicide
- Hookworms
- Kidney
- Laxative
- Loin
- Malaria
- Myalgia
- Ophthalmia
- Ordeal
- Pectoral
- Poison
- Refrigerant
- Rheumatism
- Sedative
- Skin
- Stomach
- Sweetener
- Throat
- Trachoma
- Urogenital
- Venereal
- Vermifuge
- Ache(Head)
- Fracture(Veterinary)
- Insomnia
- Jaundice
- Masticatory
- Night-Blindness
- Puerperium
- Purgative
- Sprue
- Styptic
Cultural record detail
These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.
- Abortifacient · Elsewhere · "
- Anodyne · India(Santal) · "
- Antidote · Elsewhere · "
- Aphrodisiac · Elsewhere · "
- Bilious · Upper Volta · "
- Bite(Snake) · Ghana · "
- Bladder · Arabic · "
- Blennorrhagia · Haiti · "
- Boil · Africa(Yoruba) · "
- Cancer · New Caledonia · "
- Chest · Africa · "
- Chest · Africa(Zulu) · "
- Chest · Trinidad · "
- CNS sedative · Gabon · "
- Cold · Elsewhere · "
- Cold · Trinidad · "
- Colic · Africa · "
- Colic · Malaya · "
- Colic · Elsewhere · "
- Colic · Ivory Coast · "
- Collyrium · Elsewhere · "
- Conjunctivitis · Upper Volta · "
- Tuberculosis · Trinidad · "
- Contraceptive · C Africa · "
92 additional documented entries remain in the source record.
Contemporary uses
Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.
Scientific research
Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.
Indexed research records
- Antimicrobial Efficacy of Aqueous Extracts of Abrus precatorius and Achyranthes aspera Against Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans: An In Vitro Study. · 2026 source ↗
- Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Abrus precatorius leaf extract: Characterization, evaluation of biological activities and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye. · 2026 source ↗
- Phyto-mediated synthesis of Ni-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles using Abrus precatorius for antioxidant, antimicrobial and photocatalytic dye degradation applications. · 2026 source ↗
Scientific compounds
Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.
- ABRALINE
- ABRASINE
- ABRICIN
- (+)-ABRINE
- ABRUSGENIC-ACID-METHYL-ESTER
- ABRUSLACTONE
- ASH
- CALCIUM
- CHOLINE
- CYCLOARTENOL
- N,N-DIMETHYL-TRYPTOPHAN
- FAT
- FIBER
- GALLIC-ACID
- KILOCALORIES
- PECTIN
show 48 more documented entries
- PICATORINE
- POLYGALACTURONIC-ACIDS
- PRECATORINE
- PROTEIN
- TRIGONELLINE
- WATER
- ABRUSGENIC-ACID
- ABRUSSIC-ACID
- CAMPESTEROL
- P-COUMAROYLGALLOYL-GLUCODELPHINIDIN
- GLYCYRRHIZIN
- DELPHINIDIN
- ABRIN
- ABRISIN
- ANTHOCYANINS
- CARBOHYDRATES
- N,N-DIMETHYL-TRYPTOPHAN-METHO-CATION-METHYL-ESTER
- HYPAPHORINE
- PHOSPHORUS
- PRECASINE
- PENTOSANS
- ABRANIN
- ABRIN-A
- ABRIN-C
- ABRUQUINONE-A
- ABRUQUINONE-B
- ABRUQUINONE-C
- ABRUSOGENIN
- ABRUSOSIDE-A
- ABRUSOSIDE-B
- ABRUSOSIDE-C
- ABRUSOSIDE-D
- ARACHIDIC-ACID
- BEHENIC-ACID
- BETA-SITOSTEROL
- CYANIDIN-3-GLUCOSIDE
- DELPHINIDIN-3,5-DIGLUCOSIDE
- LIGNOCERIC-ACID
- LINOLEIC-ACID
- LINOLENIC-ACID
- OLEIC-ACID
- PALMITIC-ACID
- PELARGONIDIN-3,5-DIGLUCOSIDE
- PELARGONIDIN-3-GLUCOSIDE
- STEARIC-ACID
- STIGMASTEROL
- 5-BETA-CHOLANIC-ACID
- TYROSINE
Legality
No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.
Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.
Reference images
Sources
Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP
World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0
show claim source mapping
- identity · DH-SRC-0030
- documented_uses · DH-SRC-0030
- compounds · DH-SRC-0030
- taxonomy · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- common_names · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- countries · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
- wfo_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0003 · source ↗
- cultural_records · DH-SRC-0030 · source ↗
- powo_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0001 · source ↗
- wcvp_taxonomy · DH-SRC-0002 · source ↗
CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive
Contributions and revisions
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