Tonka Bean Profile
Also known as
Dipteryx odorata (oderata) and Coumarouna odorata
Introduction
The leguminous seed of the Tonka tree Dipteryx odorata, a large rainforest tree (growing to more than 120 feet high) native to South America and belonging to the pea family--have sometimes been used as a substitute for vanilla. Tonka beans have an incredibly sweet fragrance and flavor which is reminiscent of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon and cloves. Because it contains coumarin, which is suspected of being toxic and carcinogenic it is banned from being used as a food ingredient in the US. In addition to its historical use in flavoring cookies, cakes and cream dishes, Tonka beans are sometimes used to flavor snuff and pipe tobacco. It is still used as a food ingredient in France (especially in desserts), and at least one European candy company produces a tonka bean-flavored milk chocolate bar. In South America the bean paste is mixed with milk to make a sweet beverage, and has been thought to have aphrodisiac properties.
Constituents
Coumarin, fats, and starch.
Parts Used
Beans (seeds)
Typical Preparations
Whole beans are soaked in rum and then air dried, resulting in the formation of coumarin crystals that make the beans appear frosted. In Brazil tonka beans are sometimes found in extracts and compounded into medicine.
Summary
Tonka beans have a long history of medicinal use among Indian tribes in the Amazon, and are still used in Brazilian herbal medicine as an antispasmodic, emmenagogue, cardiotonic, and antiasthmatic. A solution made from soaking tonka beans in rum has been used to treat snake bites, cuts, coughs and rheumatism. The bark of the tonka tree is also used medicinally, and the durable wood is employed in construction. Even at their most popular, however, Tonka beans were relatively little known. The aromatic sweetness of the bean is similar enough to vanilla that it has occasionally been used as a substitute for it, but the US FDA strictly prohibits its use in food. One of its active constituents is coumarin, an anticoagulant which may be toxic to the liver and is suspected of being carcinogenic. The sweet fragrance has also made Tonka bean a popular ingredient in perfumes, soaps, incense, and colognes, and as a flavoring for snuff and pipe tobacco.
Precautions
Taking Tonka bean in large amounts may trigger bleeding and affect the ability of blood to clot, and may also cause severe (yet reversible) liver damage. Its internal use as an apothecary ingredient should only be administered by someone qualified in the appropriate use of this substance, and it should not be used as a food agent.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
