DEPARTMENT OF ILME TIBBE QANOON WA ILMUL SAMOOM

GOVT. UNANI MEDICAL COLLEGE GANDERBAL ,KASHMIR

ABRUS PRECATORIUS
INTRODUCTION:
➢ It belongs to family the Leguminosae and is widely grown all over India.
➢ The plant is a climbing one .
➢ The seeds are egg-shaped, scarlet in color with a black spot at one end.
➢ The seeds weigh around 105mg, dimensions are 0.83 x 0.62 cm.
➢ They were previously used by Indian goldsmiths for measuring gold and silver.
➢ The white variety of the seeds is also there.

FEATURES:
➢ Common Known are Indian liquorice / Jequirity .
➢ Seeds are k/a Gunchi Seeds/ Crab's eye/ Rati Seeds/Rosary Beads .
➢ the Seeds are egg shaped , bright scarlet color with a large black spot at
one end .
➢ 8mm long and 6 mm broad ( black spot) .
➢ the seeds contains an active principle "abrin“ Which is similar to viperine
snake venom .
➢ All parts of plant are poisonous and seeds are tasteless and odourless.

Active Principles:
➢ Abrin (most potent)
➢ Abralin
➢ Abralic Acids
-fetal
:- 1-2 dose
➢ Abrine
seeds by mouth or 90-
120mg abrin by
injection Treatment :- SIGN & SYMPTOM :
➢ Gastric lavage
fatal period :- 3-5
days
➢ injection of anti abrin , the needle ❖
If taken by mouth :
severe irritation of upper GIT ,abdominal pain ,
should be dissected out. nausea and vomiting , bloody diarrhoea.
➢ Sodium bicarbonate 10mg orally per day ❖Weakness , cold perspiration ( cold sweat)
❖Trembling of hand
helps in maintaining alkalinity of urine
❖
weak rapid pule
and prevents agglutination 0f red cells. ❖
rectal bleeding
when extract of seeds is injected under the skin of
animal, inflammation , oozing of haemorrhagic fluid
from site of puncture and sometimes necrosis occurs .
Medico legal aspect : ❑
➢ SUI NEEDLES. These are needle prepared from crushed abrus seeds. The animal does not take food and drops down after
✓ Used as arrow poisoning. 3-4 days and cannot move.
✓ When this sui needle is injected. it results in extensive local necrosis
❑
man at the site of injection painful swelling and
ecchymosis (blunt trauma ) develops with
a/w systemic toxicity , which resembles viperine snake venom.
✓ Thus. it is k/a ideal cattle poison (animal poison)[even though the cattle
inflammation and necrosis

died d/t sui needle, it resembles as snake bite]

➢ In this, the person is slapped with the needle kept in between two
fingers and the poison is administered by pushing the needle in the face.
Accidental poisonings are reported.
➢ Suicidal cases are quite rare.
➢ Seed extract can be used to produce conjunctivitis.

Sui made from ratti seeds

Submitted by : supervised by :
Sachin Bhagat Dr. Afroza Rahman ( Associate Professor )
Faizan Choudhary Dr. Sumaira Bashir ( Assistant Professor )
Baasit Shafi Dr. Khan Tanveer ( Assistant Professor )
Sayed Anjum
Ruksar Ahmad