Guilandina bonduc, the bonduc or fever nut, is a prickly climbing shrub whose pods carry hard, grey, marble-like seeds. Children have played with them for generations, and they are used as counters, beads and rattles. The seeds also float and travel on ocean currents, turning up on faraway beaches as nicker nuts. They are very bitter and not food.
- Botanical name
- Guilandina bonduc L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Kazharchikai
- Hindi
- Karanjwa
- Parts used
- Seed (bead and historical list; not food)
- Habit
- Spiny grey-seed pea; not a kitchen pulse
- Last updated
- 2026-10-25
How to recognise Bonduc
It is a scrambling, very prickly shrub with large twice-pinnate leaves and hooked prickles on stems and leaf stalks.
Small yellow flowers grow in spikes.
The pods are short, inflated and covered in dense spines, each holding one or two seeds.
The seeds are round, smooth, grey to greenish-grey and very hard, about the size of a marble.
Traditional use of Bonduc
Games and craft
In Tamil Nadu kazharchikai seeds are used as counters in board games such as pallanguzhi, and as beads and toys.
Tamil Nadu household practice
Ayurveda and Siddha
The bitter seed, latakaranja in Ayurveda, appears in preparations for fever, which is the origin of the name fever nut.
Indian materia medica
Modern notes on Bonduc
Laboratory studies of the seed describe bitter diterpenoids. There is no good clinical evidence for its use in fever.
Fevers in India need testing for malaria, dengue and typhoid, not home remedies.
Bonduc safety
Do not eat the seeds. They can damage teeth and upset the stomach, and young children should not play with them unsupervised, because they are a choking hazard.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows on coasts, in hedges and on wasteland throughout the tropics.
Its floating seeds are classic drift seeds, carried by ocean currents and found on beaches worldwide.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Bonduc
What older names does Guilandina bonduc go by?
Caesalpinia bonduc and Caesalpinia bonducella.
Can you eat the seeds of Bonduc?
No. They are bitter and hard and not food.
Why do they wash up on beaches?
The seeds float and travel on ocean currents.
Where does Bonduc grow in India?
Along coasts and in dry hedges, especially in the south.
Sources
- Guilandina bonduc L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q21874434 (Guilandina bonduc)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.