Tonka Bean

Safety & Contraindications

Class 3. Not covered. None at proper dosage. 150 g tonka beans, cf ~4 g coumarin, might induce headache, nausea, stupor, and vomiting. Rats and dogs fed coumarin develop liver damage, retarded growth, and testicular atrophy. In large doses, fluid extracts of tonka beans are reportedly cardioparalytic. The reddish sawdust once caused a workman’s hair, when wetted, to turn bright green. Coumarin can cause severe liver damage “which is why the FDA banned the use of the beans as a flavoring agent”. Narcotic, the fluid extract can paralyze the heart if infused in large doses. Respectable scientists question that coumarin, in reasonable doses, can harm humans with normal liver function. Coumarin may possibly cause bleeding incidents, but not like coumadin. Not being exactly exact, APA leads us to a half-coumadinized conclusion: “You may recognize the name coumarin in relation to the common anticoagulant warfarin, sold as Coumadin”. My understanding is that T coumadin is dicumarol, much more serious than coumarin itself. Coumarin itself has long-established efficacy in slow-onset, long-term reduction of lymphedema in humans, as confirmed in recent double-blind trials against elephantiasis and postmastectomy swelling of the arm. The mechanism of action is uncertain, but may involve macrophage-induced proteolysis of edema protein. However, coumarin has low absolute bioavailability in humans, due to extensive first-pass hepatic conversion to 7-hydroxycoumarin followed by glucuronidation. It may, therefore, be a prodrug:713–22).