Gulaganji (Abrus precatorius)

Did you know that Gulaganji seed pod of the plant Abrus precatorius, a beautiful climbing herb, usually bright scarlet in colour and with a black eye that is deadly poisonous but known since ancient times as a unit of measure used by goldsmiths in India?

Gulaganji or Jequirity or Gunja, a pod seed of the Abrus precatorius herbaceous plant in the bean family of Fabaceae, is found throughout India, Sri lanka, Africa and the West Indies. It also grows in all tropical or subtropical areas, even at altitudes of 3500 feet on the outer Himalayas. The most poisonous parts of the plant involved in poisoning are the small, scarlet seeds, which has the poisonous Abrin, that have a black eye at the hilum. The bruised seeds have been used criminally by the Chamàr or "Native Skinner" caste of India for poisoning cattle to obtain their hides for sale. In India, in olden days the seeds of Abrus, popularly known as Gulganji, which are very consistent in weight, even under different moisture conditions due to the water-impermeable seed-coat, were used to weigh gold using a measure called a Ratti, where 8 Ratti = 1 Masha; 12 Masha = 1 Tola (11.6 Grams). The seeds are much valued for ornamental purposes, in native jewelry such as necklace and bracelets to ward off the evil eye, or even prayer beads, for their bright coloration.

In Hindu religious parlance, the symbolic twig of gunja is displayed in sculpture in the right hand of Lord Narasimha, an anthromorphic form, fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, to remind devotees of the 'sthala mahathme' (sanctity of the place) that they would gain a gulaganji (an ancient unit of measurement) of punya (spiritual gain) more than what they hope to gain from a pilgrimage to Kashi or Varnasi on the Ganges river; two such pilgrimage places in Karnataka are the Gunja Narasimhaswamy temple in T. Narasipur and Gunja Narasimha Temple in Manikarnika near Srirangapatna. 

Abrus precatorius, commonly known as jequirity in English, has many vernacular names in India such as: Gunja in Sanskrit; Gulaganji ಗುಲಗಂಜಿ in Kannada; Gaungchi, Gunchi in Hindi; Kunni, Kunnikkuru in Malayalam; Gundumani, Kundumani in Tamil; and Gurivinda in Telugu. In the rest of the world, it is known as Crab's eye, or rosary pea, paternoster pea, love pea, precatory pea or bean, prayer bead, John Crow Bead, coral bead, red-bead vine, country licorice, Indian licorice, wild licorice, and Jamaica wild licorice. 

Abrus precatorius is a slender, perennial climber with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves that twines around trees, shrubs, and hedges. Leaves are up to 8–10 cm long. Flowers are auxilairy raceme, small, pinkish white, crowded and curved. Fruits pods, rectangular, thick, hard, found in clusters, each pod with 5 seeds. Seeds are usually red and black colour, ovoid. Flowering and fruting occurs throughout the year.

Roots, seeds and leaves of Abrus precatorius are used widely. The shiny seeds are of the size of small, peas, usually bright scarlet in colour and with a black eye. Sometimes there are white seeds , with or without black eyes. Seeds contain poisonous protein, a fat -splitting enzyme, a glucoside abrussic acid, haemagglutinin, a quality of unrease and an albuminous poisonous substance named Abrin, the active principle, which is of the nature of a toxalbumin similar in action to the ricin of castor oil seeds. 

The plant has been used in Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines for centuries. Seeds are purgative, emetic, tonic, antiphlogisytic , aphrodisac and antiopthalmic. If adminsitered uncooked they act as a strong purgative and emetic. In large doses thery are used as acid poison, giving rise to symtoms like those of cholera. Seeds are rubbed with a llittle water into a paste and applied to contusions to reduce pain and swelling. As it is said to promote hair growth, plant is sometimes used as an ingredient in Indian hair products. The decoction of both leaves and roots are widely used for coughs, colds and colic. Seeds when powederd and boiled with milk loose their posionous effect and thus have a powerful tonic and aphrodisaic action on nervous system. Medicated oil is prepared by boiling together two parts of Gunja and 4 parts of juice of Bhrigaraja in 4 parts of gingelly oil. It is also applied to the bare skin in alopecia, in sciatica, stiffness of the shoulders joits , paralysis, and other rnervous diseases. But any medicinal use should be done with great caution, and only after consulting an Ayurvedic doctor.

- Narasipur Char