संस्कृत नाम- रक्त गुञ्जा
Botanical name - Abrus precatorius
Description - Copiously branched climber with slender branches; leaves alternate, pinnately compound with numerous deciduous leaflets; flowers small, in dense racemes on axillary peduncles or short branches; pods 2.5-3.7 by 1.0-1.25 cm; seeds bright scarlet and black or whitish or black or mixed black and white, large like pea.
Chemical_Constituents- Powdered root contains precol, abrol, glycyrrhizin, and 2 alkaloids abranine, precanine; root contains quinones - abruquinone A, B & C. Leaves contain glycyrrhizin, pinitol, crystalline compound, flavonoids; triterpene glycosides -abrusosides A - D. Seeds contain abrine, haemmagglutin and a glucoside abralin alkaloids abrine, hypaphorine, choline, trigonelline, precatorine; abrisapogenol flavone abrectorin, glycoside demethoxycentauredin-7-rutinoside, hydrocarbons, fatty acids, triterpenoids, sterols, hencicosane. Leaves, stem and roots contain 5-beta-cholanic acid and sterols. Colouring matter of seed contain monoglucoside anthocyanin, abranin anthocyanins are delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside; pelargonidin-3,5-diglucoside pelargonidin-3glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside. Seeds also contain fatty oil. Seeds, stem, leaves and roots contain alkaloids trigonelline, choline, hypaphorine and abrine
Uses - Roots diuretic, tonic and emetic. Seeds used in affections of nervous system. Seed paste applied locally in sciatica, stiffness of shoulder joints and paralysis.