Griffonia simplicifolia

Taxobox
name = "Griffonia simplicifolia"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fabales
familia = Fabaceae
subfamilia = Caesalpinioideae
tribus = Cercideae
genus = "Griffonia"
species = "G. simplicifolia"
binomial = "Griffonia simplicifolia"
binomial_authority = (DC.) Baill.cite web
url=http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb?sciname=Bandeiraea+simplicifolia
title=Bandeiraea simplicifolia - ILDIS LegumeWeb
publisher=www.ildis.org
accessdate=2008-03-15
last=
first=]
synonyms = "Bandeiraea simplicifolia" (DC.) Benth.

"Griffonia simplicifolia" (syn. "Bandeiraea simplicifolia" Benth.) is a woody climbing shrub native to West Africa and Central Africa. It grows to about 3 m, and bears greenish flowers followed by black pods.

The seeds of the plant are used as a herbal supplement for their 5-Hydroxytryptophan content.5-Hydroxytryptophan also known as 5-HTP 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 neuronsin the nervous system.

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

References