Common Name: Ignatius Bean

General Information

Ignatius bean is a climbing shrub producing stems up to 30 metres long and 5cm in diameter, that attach themselves to supports by means of tendrils[, ]. In Borneo the plant sometimes grows more as a shrub[].
Often harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, the plant is also occasionally cultivated in Vietnam and the Philippines for its seed, which is a commercial source of the alkaloid strychnine. Strychnine is used as a rodenticide and allopathic medicine to stimulate the nervous system[].

Known Hazards

The roots are used in Indonesia and Malaysia as arrow poison, and sometimes as a fish poison[, ].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - southern China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines.

Habitat

Open woodlands on limestone, scrub, sometimes along river banks at elevations from 400 - 800 metres[]. Usually found in dense forest, often in dipterocarp forest on sandy soil or in mixed rain forest, sometimes on river banks[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].
Grows best on sandy soils[].

Edible Uses

The pulp of the fruit is said to be edible[]. The soft pulp has a squash-like odour[]. (This report does not say the fruit is edible[]. The pale yellowish to brown, globose fruits are 10cm or more in diameter[].

Medicinal

Although toxic, the plant is often used in traditional medicine and the seeds have been an officinal remedy in various pharmacopoeias[].

The seeds and bark have been prescribed as a stomachic, febrifuge, anticholeric and tonic[, , ]. They are reported to be effective in the treatment of some forms of paralysis[].
In Thailand, the seeds, roots and the wood are used as a stomachic, febrifuge and to treat malaria[].
In India, the seeds have been used to treat obstinate vomiting, cholera, asthma, dropsy and rheumatism, and as a tonic and vermifuge[]. Combined with aromatics, they are used in the treatment of colic[].
The seeds are commercially traded as a source of strychnine[].

The leaves are used to treat diabetes[].
The leaves are used as a poultice on sloughing wounds and ulcers, especially in cases where maggots are present[].

The root bark is ground up into a fine paste with lime juice and made into pills which are said to be an effective treatment for cholera[].

The wood is used in the treatment of dysentery, fevers and dyspepsia[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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