Common Name: Ignatius Bean

General Information

Strychnos ignatii 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

Various parts of Strychnos plants, especially the seeds and bark, contain toxic alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine. The fleshy pulp of the ripe fruits, however, is often edible[].
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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