Tonka Bean

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Trinidad, China, Turkey, Venezuela

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Ache(Stomach), Anticoagulant, Carminative, Diaphoretic

Science studied: BETULIN, O-COUMARIC-ACID, COUMARIC-ACID-BETA-GLUCOSIDE, DIPTERYXIN

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: Dipteryx odorata

Common names: Tonka Bean, Dutch Tonka Bean, Almendrillo de bajura, Champagne, Cumaru-amarelo, Cumaru-de-folha-grande, Cumarú, Cumbaru, Dutch tonka-bean, Muimapagé, Tagua, Tonka Fasulyesi, Tonkabohnenbaum, Tonkaboon, budu’ɨ, coumaron, coumarou odorant, fève de tonka, gaïac de Cayenne, coumarou, kalapabosi, kalapapo:si, cumaru

History

The source record documents this plant in Trinidad, Elsewhere, China, Turkey, Venezuela.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Ache(Stomach)
• Anticoagulant
• Carminative
• Diaphoretic
• Dyspepsia
• Fever
• Fumigant
• Fumitory

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Trinidad
• Elsewhere
• China
• Turkey
• Venezuela

Documented cultural uses

• Ache(Stomach)
• Anticoagulant
• Carminative
• Diaphoretic
• Dyspepsia
• Fever
• Fumigant
• Fumitory
• Narcotic
• Pertussis
• Poison
• Stimulant

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

• Evaluation of the Antimicrobial, Cyto-Genotoxic, and Antigenotoxic Activity of <i>Dipteryx odorata</i> Seed Extracts. · 2026 source ↗
• Coumarin contents of tonka (Dipteryx odorata) products · 2025 source ↗
• Micellar electrokinetic chromatography applied to simultaneous separation of coumarins and coumaric acids from Dipteryx odorata (AUBL.) WILLD seeds · 2025 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• BETULIN
• O-COUMARIC-ACID
• COUMARIC-ACID-BETA-GLUCOSIDE
• DIPTERYXIN
• FAT
• 3'-HYDROXYRETUSIN-8-METHYL-ETHER
• LUPEOL
• MELILOTOSIDE-1-P-COUMARYL-BETA-D-GLUCOSE
• METHYL-LINOLENATE
• ODORATIN
• OLEIC-ACID
• RETUSIN-8-METHYL-ETHER
• SITOSTEROL
• STIGMASTEROL
• UMBELLIFERONE
• P-HYDROXY-BENZOIC-ACID

Legality

Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.

Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.

Reference images

Sources

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0

GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.