Gunja Beej (Chanothi / Ratti) – Abrus precatorius Whole Seed – Schedule E1 – 100g

Reviewed by Dr. Riddhish Padiya — B.Pharm (Ayurveda), M.Pharm (Pharmacognosy), Ph.D. (Dravyaguna), ITRA Jamnagar. Publications under “Padiya RH”.

What this product is, and who it is for

This is whole seed of Abrus precatorius — the scarlet, black-eyed seed that Gujarat calls chanothi and north India calls ratti — sold as a raw material. It is bought by practitioners who will process it themselves, by manufacturers of classical preparations, and for the traditional non-medicinal uses described below. It is not a domestic remedy and this page will not present it as one.

Gunja is on Schedule E1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 — the list of substances in the Ayurvedic and Siddha systems restricted to dispensing by a registered practitioner — and classical Rasashastra files it among the Upavisha, alongside Vatsanabha, Dhattura, Karavira, Langali and Ahiphena. This stock is unpurified. Classical shodhana has not been carried out on it.

The seed has a second life that has nothing to do with medicine and explains much of its trade: it is the traditional Indian unit of weight, the ratti, about 121 milligrams, used by jewellers and goldsmiths for centuries and still quoted in classical dose instructions — when a text says one gunja, it means this seed's weight. It is also used in ritual and in ornament, and its uniformity of weight is the reason for both.

Why the form matters more than anything else on this page

This is the single most useful thing we can tell you, and almost nobody selling Gunja says it.

An intact Gunja seed and a crushed one are not equally hazardous. The seed coat is hard, glossy and effectively impermeable — that is why the seeds have been used as beads and weights for millennia without incident. Abrin, the protein inside, is very poorly absorbed while that coat is intact, and the IPCS INCHEM monograph records that whole seeds swallowed accidentally frequently pass through unabsorbed. The danger arrives with grinding, crushing or thorough chewing — which is precisely why INCHEM phrases the warning as one seed well masticated.

You are looking at the whole-seed product, which retains that protection — but only for as long as the seeds stay whole. Do not grind them, and do not let them be chewed. If your process calls for powder, it also calls for the handling that goes with powder.

For scale: abrin's recorded lethal figure is on the order of 0.01 mg per kilogram of body weight, which is a very small number indeed, and INCHEM records that one well-masticated seed can be fatal. There is an Indian hospital case series covering more than a hundred patients and published autopsy reporting of deaths after ingestion of crushed seed. This is not a theoretical hazard in India.

Traditional Ayurvedic Importance

Classical Rasashastra places Gunja among the Upavisha — the group one step below the Visha drugs — with Vatsanabha, Dhattura, Karavira, Arka, Snuhi, Langali, Ahiphena, Bhanga and Vishamushti. That is a formal pharmaceutical category carrying its own purification and handling rules, not a modern caution.

The seed's classical Ayurvedic use is predominantly external, most familiarly in hair preparations, and it appears in classical formulations only after shodhana. The standard purification is swedana — steaming in a dolayantra in cow's milk — after which the seed coat is removed and discarded. That last step is not incidental: the coat is where much of the difficulty sits.

Its other classical role is metrological rather than medicinal. Gunja is a unit: one gunja, one ratti, about 121 milligrams. A great many classical dose instructions are written in gunjas, and the seed's remarkably consistent weight is why it became the standard.

Key Features

• A Schedule E1 drug, and we lead with that: Gunja is named on Schedule E1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which restricts how it may be dispensed.
• An Upavisha: classical Rasashastra's group one step below the Visha drugs, with its own purification and handling rules.
• Form changes the risk, and this page says which form you have: an intact seed coat limits absorption; crushing removes that protection. This is the whole seed, which keeps that protection while it stays whole.
• This stock is unpurified: classical shodhana — swedana in cow's milk, then removal of the seed coat — has NOT been done to it.
• It is also a unit of weight: one gunja, one ratti, about 121 mg — the jeweller's measure, and the unit a great many classical dose instructions are written in.
• Names are published romanised only: we could not verify a native-script form for any language against a reliable source, and we do not publish script we have not checked.
• Genuine, doctor-guided sourcing: bill provided with every pack; a store trusted since 2015.

Research on the Constituents

Composition (label-verified)

One material: whole seed of Abrus precatorius. Nothing is blended into it. Classical shodhana has NOT been carried out — this is the raw article.

Label not verified. No physical pack label was read when this page was built. The printed label is the final authority.

And the one thing to carry away from this page: these are whole seeds, and their hard coat is doing real work. Keep them whole. The moment they are ground or chewed, the picture changes completely.

How to Use

There is no home use for this product and we are not going to print one.

This is a raw material supplied to registered practitioners and to manufacturers, and for the traditional non-medicinal uses — weight, ornament, ritual — that the seed has always had. Any medicinal use begins with shodhana: swedana in a dolayantra in cow's milk, followed by removal and discarding of the seed coat. That is pharmacy work.

No quantity is printed here, in any unit, because there is no safe household instruction to give. Classical dosing of shodhita Gunja is written in fractions of a gunja by practitioners who have purified the material themselves.

Do not grind these seeds and do not let them be chewed. Whole is the safe state; crushed is not. If you have bought this expecting a domestic remedy, write to us and we will take it back.

Who Can Use It

Registered Ayurvedic practitioners and licensed manufacturers, and buyers using the seed for its traditional non-medicinal purposes.

Not for self-administration by anyone, in any quantity. Not in pregnancy, not while breastfeeding, not for children.

Keep it well away from children. This matters more with Gunja than with almost anything else in the catalogue: the whole seed is glossy, scarlet and black-spotted, and it looks exactly like a sweet or a bead to a small child. Store it where a child cannot reach it and never in a food container.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, in a tightly closed and clearly labelled container, well away from food and food containers. Keep out of the reach and sight of children — this is the item in the catalogue that most looks like something a child would pick up. This is a Schedule E1 raw material and it should be stored the way a pharmacy stores one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gunja?

The seed of Abrus precatorius L., family Fabaceae — the scarlet seed with a single black spot, called Chanothi in Gujarat, Ratti or Ghungchi in Hindi, Kundumani in Tamil and Gulaganji in Kannada. In English it is the rosary pea, crab's eye or jequirity bean.

Is whole seed safer than powder?

Yes, materially — and it is the most useful thing on this page. The seed coat is hard and effectively impermeable, so abrin is poorly absorbed while the seed is intact; IPCS INCHEM records that whole seeds swallowed accidentally frequently pass through unabsorbed. Crushing, grinding or thorough chewing removes that protection, which is why the classical warning is phrased as one seed well masticated. Of our two Gunja products the churna is the higher-risk one, and we would rather say so than let it read as the more convenient option.

Is it legal to sell?

Gunja is named on Schedule E1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which restricts a substance to use under medical supervision rather than prohibiting it. We confirmed that from independent published reproductions of the Schedule; the primary Gazette text was not reachable to us, and we would rather say so. A Ministry of Ayush advisory of 14 July 2022 also directs e-commerce platforms to require an uploaded prescription for Schedule E1 drugs, and we have raised that internally.

Why is Gunja sold at all if it is that hazardous?

Because it has genuine classical and non-medicinal uses and has had for millennia. It is used externally in hair preparations, it enters classical formulations after shodhana, and — quite separately from medicine — it is the traditional Indian unit of weight, the ratti of about 121 mg, used by jewellers and quoted in classical dose instructions. It is also used in ritual and ornament. What it is not is a domestic remedy.

What is a ratti, and why does it matter?

It is this seed, used as a weight — about 121 milligrams — and it is remarkably consistent from seed to seed, which is why it became a standard. When a classical text gives a dose in gunjas, that is the unit it means. Goldsmiths across India used it for centuries.

Has this been purified?

No. This stock is unpurified. Classical shodhana for Gunja is swedana — steaming in a dolayantra in cow's milk — after which the seed coat is removed and discarded. Whoever buys this does that themselves.

Can I use it at home?

No, and we will not print a domestic instruction or any quantity. Abrin's recorded lethal figure is on the order of 0.01 mg per kilogram of body weight and one well-masticated seed can be fatal. There is no household measure that is meaningful at that scale. If you bought this expecting a home remedy, write to us and we will take it back.

What do I do if a child gets hold of it?

Go to a hospital immediately and take the pack with you. Do not wait for symptoms — onset can be delayed. Tell the clinical staff it is Abrus precatorius. This is the item in our catalogue that most resembles a sweet or a bead, and it should be stored where a child cannot reach it and never in a food container.

What are the regional names?

Chanothi and Ratti in Gujarati; Ratti, Gunchi, Ghungchi and Chirmiti in Hindi; Gunj in Marathi; Kunch in Bengali; Kundumani in Tamil; Guruvinda in Telugu; Gulaganji in Kannada; Kunni in Malayalam. The full table is above. All are published romanised only — we could not verify a native-script form for any of them against a reliable source, and we do not publish script we have not checked.

Is this AYUSH or GMP certified?

This is a raw material rather than a finished medicine. Any mark, licence number or statutory caution appears on the physical pack, and we state such marks only where they are verified on the pack itself.

Is it available at Riddhish Herbals?

Yes — stocked at riddhishherbals.com and at our Gujarat retail stores, supplied as a Schedule E1 raw material with a proper bill. Doctor-guided selection since 2015.

Why does this page say so much about the risks?

Because a page about a Schedule E1 raw material that did not would be dishonest. The asymmetry between whole seed and powder is real, it is documented, and hardly any seller states it. We would rather be the page that prevents an accident than the page that reads comfortably.

Regional Names & Spelling Variants

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