''Griffonia simplicifolia'' (syn. ''Bandeiraea simplicifolia'' Benth.) is a

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...

shrub native to

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo ...

. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods.

Taxonomy and early study

The genus ''Griffonia'' was named by botanist

Henri Baillon Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on ...

in honour of his friend and fellow physician

Marie-Théophile Griffon du Bellay Marie-Théophile Griffon du Bellay (14 August 1829 – 10 November 1908) was a French physician, naval surgeon, explorer and ethnobotanist. Life Marie-Théophile was born at Rochefort, the middle child of the three sons of Joseph Jean ...

, explorer of

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

, pioneer in the study of

sleeping sickness African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is an insect-borne parasitic infection of humans and other animals. It is caused by the species ''Trypanosoma brucei''. Humans are infected by two typ ...

and also of the African

entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances that induce alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, or behavior for the purposes of engendering spiritual development or otherwiseRätsch, Christian, ''The Encyclopedia of Psychoac ...

Iboga, source of the alkaloid

ibogaine Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in plants in the family Apocynaceae such as '' Tabernanthe iboga'', '' Voacanga africana'', and '' Tabernaemontana undulata''. It is a psychedelic with dissociative properties. Pre ...

. Griffon de Bellay undertook an early study of the properties of ''G. simplicifolia''.

Chemical constituents

The seeds of the plant are used as a herbal supplement for their

5-hydroxytryptophan 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Uses 5-HTP is sold over the counte ...

(5-HTP) content. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is an important building block for the human body to form serotonin, a neurotransmitter. In one "randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial" in 2010 ''Griffonia simplicifolia'' extract, administered via oral spray to twenty overweight females resulting in increased satiety. ''Griffonia simplicifolia'' also has a

legume lectin {{Infobox protein family , Symbol = Lectin_legB , Name = Legume lectin domain (or L-type lectin domain) , image = PDB 1lem EBI.jpg , width = , caption = Structure of the monosaccharide binding site of lentil lectin.{{cite journal , vauthors=L ...

called GS Isolectin B4, which binds to alpha-D-galactosyl residues of polysaccharides and glycoproteins. This supplement is often given by spider silk farmers to increase production of stronger silk.

Synonyms

Botanical synonyms for the plant also include ''Schotia simplicifolia'' (Vahl ex DC) Baill.

References

Medicinal plants of Africa Cercidoideae Taxa named by Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon {{medicinal-plant-stub