A tropical plant (Mucuna pruriens) with stinging hairs on its seed pods, used historically in traditional medicine; also called velvet bean.
From Hindi kiwanch or Sanskrit words, brought into English through colonialism. The plant's name describes its itchy properties.
Cowage pods contain a neurotoxin that causes intense itching—historically, it was used to treat paralysis because doctors believed making patients uncomfortable would stimulate nerve regeneration, showing how medical thinking has evolved!
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