Gugo
Entada phaseoloides · St. Thomas bean
- Names in the 1901 book
- Gogo, Tag.; Bayogo, Balogo, Gohog̃ bakay, Vis. and Pam.; Gilla Nuts, Indo-Eng.
- Names in the 1985 book
- Tagalog: Gugo, Bayogo; Ilocano: Lipay; Visayan: Balonos, Barugu, Bayogo
- Colours
- flowercream, yellowseedbrown
- Native range
- Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the Pacific
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Mountains of Luzon and Panay. Blooms in May.
- Family
- Fabaceae, filed in the book under Leguminosæ
- Printed in 1901 as
- Entada scandens, Benth. (E. Pursœtha, DC. and Blanco.)
- Printed in 1985 as
- Entada phaseikaudes K Meer
- Sources
- Page 106 on Project Gutenberg · Healing Wonders of Herbs (1985), page 83 · Wikipedia
Entada scandens was applied to several giant Entada vines. The Philippine gugo is Entada phaseoloides.
The plant today
Entada phaseoloides, commonly known in English as the matchbox bean or St. Thomas' bean, is a large twining vine or liana in the pea and bean family Fabaceae, native to a broad area of Asia-Pacific, from China to northern Australia and the southwestern Pacific. It is also known as gugo in the Philippines, where the bark sap is used as a traditional shampoo.
Excerpt from “Entada phaseoloides” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 123 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 12 provinces, most often Bataan (10), Sorsogon (5), Davao del Sur (3), Isabela (3), Palawan (3), Bukidnon (2), Samar (2), Masbate (1), and 4 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The use made of the mashed bark of this tree is well known throughout the Philippines. Cut in strips and beaten thoroughly between stones it is sold under the name of “gogo”; it is macerated in water, to which it imparts a reddish color, and forms a substitute for soap. The Filipinos use this preparation for bathing, especially the hair, for which purpose there is no more useful or simple preparation. It cures pityriasis, and renders the hair very soft, without drying it too much as is usually the case with soap. The natives use it in treating the itch, washing the affected parts with the maceration and at the same time briskly rubbing them with the bark; in this way they remove the crusts that shield the acari. The treatment is successful in direct proportion to the energy of rubbing.
The seeds of “gogo” are very large, lenticular, flattened, 3–4 centimeters in diameter. Their chemical composition has been studied by Pettit. Alcohol dissolves the active principle, perhaps a glucoside, the study of which the author has not completed. Five centigrams of this substance administered to a guinea-pig causes paralysis of the hind quarters without any apparent inflammation. He also found saponin in the seeds, but it exists in much greater quantity in the trunk. In the Sunda Islands they eat the seeds roasted and also extract from them an illuminating oil.
The maceration of gogo is emetic and purgative; it is used in the treatment of asthma; it is exceedingly irritating, the slightest quantity that enters the eye causing severe smarting and a slight conjunctivitis for one or two days.
Botanical description
A high climbing shrub with stem as much as 7–8′ in diameter. Leaves opposite, twice abruptly pinnate, a stylet replacing the terminal leaflet; 5 pairs of elliptical leaflets, entire, glabrous and notched at the apex. Common petiole with 2 stipules at the base. Flowers in delicate spikes. Calyx obliquely truncate, 5-toothed. Corolla, 5 oval petals much larger than the calyx. Stamens 10–13. Filaments longer than the corolla. Anther with 1–2 white, globose glandules. Pod woody, 4–6° long by “4 fingers” broad, with large notches on the borders, many compartments containing many large, compressed, circular seeds with dark-colored testa, 3–4 centimeters in diameter.
What the 1985 book uses it for
A record of home remedies from 1985, with the book's amounts and doses reworded. It is not medical advice.
- DandruffBark soaked in water and used as shampoo.Soak the bark in a basin of cold water for 30 minutes, squeeze it out into the water and add the juice of 3 kalamansi. Wash the hair twice a week.Page 21
- Lice infestation on the headBark shampoo before combing.Shampoo every day for a week if possible, combing with a fine comb straight after.Page 31
The printed "Entada phaseikaudes K Meer" is a misprint for Entada phaseoloides (L.) Merr.
Summarised from Herminia de Guzman-Ladion, Healing Wonders of Herbs (Manila: Philippine Publishing House, 1985), where this plant is shown as “Gugo” on page 83. The book is in copyright, so its wording and photographs are not reproduced. Amounts are the book's, restated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Chromosome-level genome of Entada phaseoloides provides insights into genome evolution and biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins
- Integrative Analysis of Metabolome and Transcriptome Identifies Potential Genes Involved in the Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Entada phaseoloides Stem
- Anti-Phototoxicity Effect of Phenolic Compounds from Acetone Extract of Entada phaseoloides Leaves via Activation of COX-2 and iNOS in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes