Gulaganji seed pod of the plant Abrus precatorius, a beautiful climbing herb, usually bright scarlet in colour and with a black eye that is deadly poisonous but known since ancient times as a unit of measure used by goldsmiths in India?
Gulaganji (Abrus precatorius) Did you know that Gulaganji seed pod of the plant Abrus precatorius, a beautiful climbing herb, usually bright scarlet in colour and with a black eye that is deadly poisonous but known since ancient times as a unit of measure used by goldsmiths in India? Gulaganji or Jequirity or Gunja, a pod seed of the Abrus precatorius herbaceous plant in the bean family of Fabaceae, is found throughout India, Sri lanka, Africa and the West Indies. It also grows in all tropical or subtropical areas, even at altitudes of 3500 feet on the outer Himalayas. The most poisonous parts of the plant involved in poisoning are the small, scarlet seeds, which has the poisonous Abrin, that have a black eye at the hilum. The bruised seeds have been used criminally by the Chamàr or "Native Skinner" caste of India for poisoning cattle to obtain their hides for sale. In India, in olden days the seeds of Abrus, popularly known as Gulganji,...
