Griffonia simplicifolia
Encyclopedia
Griffonia simplicifolia (syn. Bandeiraea simplicifolia Benth.) is a wood
y climbing
shrub
native to West Africa
and Central Africa
. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods.
(5-HTP ) content. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is an important building block for the human body to form serotonin
. Serotonin plays an important role in the body specially as a neurotransmitter
to transport signals between neurons in the nervous system. Griffonia simplicifolia also has a legume lectin
called GS4.
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
y climbing
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
native to West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods.
Chemical constituents
The seeds of the plant are used as an herbal supplement for their 5-hydroxytryptophan5-Hydroxytryptophan
5-Hydroxytryptophan , also known as oxitriptan , is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin from tryptophan....
(5-HTP ) content. 5-Hydroxytryptophan is an important building block for the human body to form serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
. Serotonin plays an important role in the body specially as a neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles clustered beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to...
to transport signals between neurons in the nervous system. Griffonia simplicifolia also has a legume lectin
Legume lectin
The legume lectins are a family of sugar binding proteins or lectins found in the seeds and, in smaller amounts, in the roots, stems, leaves and bark of plants belonging to the Fabaceae family. The exact function of the legume lectins in vivo is unknown but they are probably involved in the defense...
called GS4.