Ordeal Bean (Noun)
Meaning
Dark brown highly poisonous seed of the calabar-bean vine; source of physostigmine and used in native witchcraft.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- The ordeal bean was used in traditional trials by ordeal in West Africa to determine guilt or innocence.
- In some cultures, the ordeal bean was believed to have magical powers and was used in native witchcraft rituals.
- The calabar-bean vine produces the highly toxic ordeal bean, which contains the alkaloid physostigmine.
- The ordeal bean has been used for centuries in traditional medicine, despite its high toxicity and potential for overdose.
- In modern times, the ordeal bean is primarily used as a source of physostigmine, a medication used to treat glaucoma and other conditions.