The scientific name of Crab's Eye Plant: Abrus Precatorius.
English: Coral bead vine, Rosary pea, Indian liquorice.

Crab's Eye plant is a perennial climber vine, woody, commonly found as a weed of roadsides, waste areas in the higher rainfall areas like WesternGhats. It is a climber vine with slender stems. Leaves have several pairs of small leaflets. Flowers are about 10 mm long and pea-shaped, whitish or pink found as clusters. Seeds are containing in pods 20 to 35 mm long with a rough surface texture, contains a number of red and black coloured seeds, 5 to 7 mm long. It is a highly toxic (abrin) plant, the seeds contain poison which is even able to kill a healthy man.

Useful plant parts:
Root, leaf, seed and oil


Medicinal Uses:

Inflammation, irregular mensuration, fevers, coughs and cold, to increase erotic desire in men, used in the treatments of gonorrhoea, jaundice, haemoglobinuria bile, hair growth, Dandruff, Dental caries, treat frozen shoulder, scrofula, erysipelas and skin diseases.


Chemical content:

Cycloartenol, Delphinidin, Gallic acid, Glycyrrhizin, Hypaphorine, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic potential, quinines, flavonoids, anthocyanins and sotlavanoids.


Medicinal Properties:

Anti-tumorous - It prevents grow of tumours
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-allergic activity
Antibacterial
Insecticidal - It is a toxic



How to prepare medicines:

It is used as an ingredient in Indian Ayurveda hair products.
Root extraction is used in the treatments of eye diseases.