Abrus precatorius 相思子

Fabaceae 蝶形花科

Rosary Pea1

相思藤、小人草、紅珠木、紅豆、雞母珠2,3

POISONOUS PARTS

Seeds.4

TOXICITY

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment. Correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Activated charcoal therapy has been used for gastrointestinal decontamination in abrin poisoning, but the benefit is uncertain.5,6

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Climbing shrubs, minutely white strigose. Leaves even-pinnate, 10–15 cm long; leaflets 8–15 pairs, membranous, 10–22 × 4–6 mm, apex apiculate. Racemes axillary, 3–6 cm long. Corolla purplish, vexillum broadly ovate, wings and keel very narrow. Pods 2.5–3 × 1–1.5 cm, inflated, densely strigose, valves leathery. Seeds 5–6 mm long, scarlet with a black spot on one side.10

MEDICINAL USES

Highly toxic; use with caution. Seeds used in TCM: remove toxin, kill parasites. For external use only.2,11

CASES IN TRL

A middle aged woman was admitted with acute renal failure after drinking a herbal broth prepared with some “touch-me-not“ (Mimosa pudica) collected from the countryside. The plant specimen was later identified as A. precatorius. She required haemodialysis and intensive care for several weeks.

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Abrine, an alkaloid marker of A. precatorius, can be detected by LC-MS/MS.12,13