Herb's Introduction Lathyrus sativus, a member of the Fabaceae (legume) family, is an annual plant with winged stems and paripinnately compound leaves. Its flowers can be red, blue, or white, and the plant produces a winged fruit containing 3 to 5 seeds. The plant is used in traditional medicinal systems like Ayurveda and Unani, though it's known to be poisonous to both humans and livestock if consumed for prolonged periods. The toxic substance responsible for its neurotoxic effects has been identified as beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine (BOAA) and also, according to another source, selenium.
Names in Different Countries
Lathyrus sativus goes by many names depending on the region. Some of these include:
English: grass pea, blue sweet pea, chickling vetch, Indian pea, Indian vetch, white vetch
Amharic: ጓያ (guaya)
Arabic: جلبان مزروع (turmos)
Bengali: খেসারি ডাল (khesari dal)
Catalan: Guixera
Croatian: jari grah
Greek: λαθούρι (lathouri)
Hindi: लतरी (latri)
Hungarian: Szegletes lednek
Italian: cicerchia
Portuguese: chícharos
Spanish: almorta or alverjón
Sanskrit: thriputa, kalaaya, khandikaa, lanka, sandika
Terminology
The information provided uses several terms to describe the plant's characteristics. Here's a breakdown:
Glabrous to subglabrous: The plant surface is either smooth and hairless (glabrous) or nearly so (subglabrous).
Paripinnately compound: A type of compound leaf where leaflets are arranged in pairs along the central stem, with no terminal leaflet.
Semisagittate stipules: The small, leaf-like appendages at the base of the leaf stalk are shaped like an arrowhead with one of the basal lobes missing.
Peduncle: The stalk supporting a single flower.
Calyx: The outer part of the flower, consisting of sepals, which enclose the petals.
Corolla: The collective term for the petals of a flower.
BOAA (beta-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine): The neurotoxic compound found in the seeds of Lathyrus sativus that is linked to neurolathyrism.
Availability
The provided text doesn't specify the plant's general availability, but its wide range of common names in different languages suggests it is cultivated or found in various parts of the world, particularly in regions like Ethiopia, India, and Bangladesh, where some of its local names originate.
External Look
The Lathyrus sativus plant has several distinct features:
Stem: It has an annual, glabrous or subglabrous stem with prominent wings.
Leaves: The leaves are paripinnately compound, with two narrow, lanceolate to linear leaflets ranging from 5 to 100 mm long. The upper leaves have mostly three-part tendrils.
Flowers: The flowers are borne on a single stalk (peduncle) and can be red, blue, or white, ranging from 12 to 24 mm in length.
Fruit: The fruit is a pod, 2.5–3.3 cm long, and 9–12 mm wide, with a distinctive broad wing along the upper suture.
Seeds: The fruit contains 3 to 5 seeds.
Healing Properties
Lathyrus sativus is mentioned as being used in traditional Ayurveda and Unani medicine. The text also notes that the seeds are cathartic, meaning they can induce bowel movements. However, this is heavily outweighed by the significant toxic properties of the plant, making its use for healing purposes extremely risky and dangerous.
Advantages
The provided text highlights the dangers of Lathyrus sativus rather than its advantages. While not explicitly stated, some potential advantages of the plant could be inferred from its nature as a legume, such as its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, potentially improving soil fertility. Its use as a cathartic agent is also mentioned, but again, its toxicity severely limits this as a true advantage.
Uses
The primary uses mentioned for Lathyrus sativus are in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. However, the text also explicitly warns against its use due to its high toxicity. The seeds can be consumed, but this is incredibly dangerous. Its consumption, especially in regions with food scarcity, is a last resort and leads to severe health consequences.
Using Way
The text does not recommend a safe way to use Lathyrus sativus due to its toxic nature. It warns that ingesting the seeds for a prolonged period (3-6 months) can lead to neurolathyrism.
Conclusion
Lathyrus sativus, or grass pea, is a plant with a dual nature: it's used in some traditional medicine systems, but it's also highly poisonous. The prolonged consumption of its seeds can cause neurolathyrism, a debilitating neurological disorder that results in muscular rigidity and paralysis of the legs. The neurotoxin responsible is BOAA, though another source also cites selenium. The plant's cathartic properties are overshadowed by its severe toxicity to both humans and livestock. Therefore, despite its use in traditional medicine and its potential as a food source in times of famine, the significant health risks associated with Lathyrus sativus make its consumption highly dangerous and ill-advised.
