Tonka Bean

Scientific Name(s): Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., Dipteryx oppositifolia (Aubl.) Willd.
Common Name(s): Cumaru, Tonco bean, Tonco seed, Tonga bean, Tongo bean, Tonka bean, Tonquin bean, Torquin bean

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Mar 28, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Tonka bean contains coumarin, which is used as a flavoring in foods and tobacco, as well as a fragrance in cosmetics.

Dosing

There is no clinical evidence to support a specific dosage of tonka bean.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not been determined.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking. Avoid use.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

If ingested in modest amounts, tonka beans have not been reported to produce any serious adverse reactions. Caution is advised in hepatic impairment. Coumarin, as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extract, is prohibited from use in food by the FDA.

Toxicology

Little information is available.

Scientific Family

• Fabaceae (bean)

Botany

Members of the genus Dipteryx are native to South America (Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil), as typically large trees bearing single-seeded fruits about 3 to 5 cm in length. The fruit is dried with the seed removed. If not processed further, the fruit is sometimes known as "black beans." The beans are macerated in rum and then air-dried, resulting in the formation of a crystalline deposit of coumarin making the seeds appear frosted.

Tonka beans are rounded at one end and bluntly pointed at the other. The bean is black and deeply wrinkled longitudinally, with a very fragrant odor and an aromatic, bitter taste.Trease 1978, USDA 2017

History

Tonka beans contain coumarin, which is used in the food, cosmetic, and related industries to impart a pleasant fragrance to cakes, preserves, tobacco, soaps, and liqueurs.Duke 2003, Lewis 1977 The seeds are sometimes cured in rum.Mabberley 1987 However, according to the Food and Drug Administration (Code of Federal Regulations), food containing any coumarin as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extracts is deemed impure.ECFR 2007 Synthetic coumarin has, to some extent, replaced the natural product.

South American natives mix the seed paste with milk to make a thick, nutty-flavored beverage. Extracts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine as a tonic and to treat cramps and nausea. Seed extracts have been administered rectally for schistosomiasis in China. The fruit has also been said to have aphrodisiac properties.

Chemistry

Coumarin is present at 1% to 3% by weight of the fermented seed, but some strains may contain up to 10%.Duke 2003, FDA 2016, Lewis 1977 Umbelliferone (7-hydroxycoumarin) has been isolated from the seed.

Tonka beans contain 25% fat containing unsaponifiable sitosterin and stigmasterin, and a larger amount of starch.Trease 1978 Coumarin has an odor reminiscent of vanillin. A number of related isoflavones have been isolated from the heartwood, including odoratin and dipteryxin. The bark exudes a resin that contains lupeol, betulin, and other minor components.

Crude extracts of callus and roots of D. odorata were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography to detect and quantify isoflavone contents. The structures of 2 isoflavones were elucidated as 7-hydroxy-4′,6-dimethoxyisoflavone and 3′,7-dihy...