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Entada phaseoloides
Also called St. Thomas Bean, Elva Climber, Gogovine, Sea Bean
Entada phaseoloides, commonly known in English as the matchbox bean or St. Thomas' bean, is a large twining vine or liana in the pea and bean family Fabaceae, native to a broad area of Asia-Pacific, from China to northern Australia and the southwestern Pacific.
It is also known as gugo in the Philippines, where the bark sap is used as a traditional shampoo.
The matchbox bean is native to a broad area from mainland Asia, through Melanesia to northern Australia and the western Pacific. Regions and/or countries include Tibet, south and southeast China, Japan, Mainland Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, northern Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Hawaii.
Filipinos have been traditionally using gugo before commercial shampoos were sold in stores. The shampoo is obtained by soaking and rubbing the bark of the vine gugo (Entada phaseoloides), producing a lather that cleanses the scalp effectively. Gugo is also used as an ingredient in hair tonics. Gugo contains saponin, triterpenes, and phenolic compounds. A study by the Philippines Department of Science and Technology found that gugo prevents hair fall because it stimulates micro circulation in the blood vessels.
Entada africana · Nicker bean · African Dream Herb · Callingcard vine
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Entada phaseoloides by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
