Gunja – गुंजा
➢ It is a perennial, slender, twining, woody vine or climber.
➢ It climbs on surrounding trees or shrubs. The stem is green,
cylindrical.
➢ The leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, bearing 5-20 pairs of
leaflets. The leaflets are thin, oval to oblong with a rounded base and
a rounded apex, having an entire margin.
➢ Many flowers are crowded on a rachis forming raceme-like
inflorescence. The flowers are white or light pink in color and have
five petals of different shapes – one standard petal, two wings and
two keel petals.
➢ The fruit is a legume pod, short, flat, stout with elongated apex
forming a beak and recurved.
➢ Each pod splits from two sutures revealing many shiny bright red
oval seeds having a black spot.
BOTANICAL NAME
Abrus precatorius L
FAMILY
Fabaceae
FLOWERING
June – October
FRUITING
June – October
PROPAGATION
It can be propagated by seeds.
PLANT PART USED
Whole Plant
COMMON NAMES:
Rosary Pea, Coral Bead Vine, Indian Liquorice;
Hindi: Chirmithi, Ghunghchi, Gunj, Ratti; Marathi: Gunja, Madhuyashti;
Bengali: Chunahati, Gunja, Rati; Kannada: Gulaganji, Haaga; Konkani:
Gunji, Gurgunji, Manjoti; Malayalam: Gunja, Kunni; Manipuri: Chaning
Meimubi; Sanskrit: Gunja, Kakajangha; Tamil: Cikantikai, Kunri,
Kuruvintam; Telugu: Atimadhuramu, Guriginja, Gurivinda, Mukkutamu,
Raktika, Sinnaguruginja.
USES
✓ The leaves of this plant are edible, chewed fresh or cooked as a
vegetable in many places.
✓ The seeds are used to make jewelry even though they are highly
toxic and may lead to death if ingested.
✓ The plant is used medicinally against colds, cough, sore throat,
asthma and leprosy.
✓ The roots of this plant are used as a substitute for liquorice.
✓ It is a nerve stimulant and used in cases of paralysis.
✓ It helps improve texture of skin and hair.
✓ It is an immuno-booster and increases body strength.
✓ It is an aphrodisiac and helps increase sperm count.
✓ Seeds are highly poisonous. Due to consistency in seed size and
weight, they are used as a marker for measuring weight in Ayurveda.
