Bodhi Bead Materials
菩提子 / 菩提根 / 星月 pútízǐ / pútí gēn / xīngyuè
Bodhi is a family of bead names in trade and practice, not a guarantee that every bead came from one tree.
Sources checked 28 October 2026 · Specialist review of the original four guides reported by the site owner; newer notes are identified below
Bodhi bead materials recorded in one study
Selected examples from Li and colleagues’ 2014 market survey. Plant names follow the paper; this is not a current determination of a seller’s beads.
| Bead name | Chinese / pinyin | Plant name in the paper | Plant part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodhi root | 菩提根 pútí gēn | Corypha umbraculifera | Seed |
| Moon and star | 星月 xīngyuè | Daemonorops jenkinsiana | Seed |
| King Kong | 金刚 jīngāng | Elaeocarpus angustifolius | Fruit |
| Lotus | 莲花 liánhuā | Ziziphus jujuba | Not individually stated in the cited table |
The name “lotus” in this table is a bead trade name, not an identification as the sacred lotus plant. The separate naming note below explains Kew’s current treatment of the paper’s Daemonorops name.
Plant names here are retained as published. The different names in the rudraksha discussion have not been reconciled into one current taxonomic determination; a shared trade name cannot identify a seller’s bead.
Li et al., 2014 · source table and discussion ↗
New material records: source-checked; independent botanical and language review pending.
Scientific fact
Many plants, one broad name
A 2014 ethnobotanical study documents numerous plants whose seeds or fruits are used as Bodhi beads in China. The trade label “Bodhi” does not by itself identify a plant species.
Scientific fact
Bodhi root and moon-and-stars
The 2014 study associates pútí gēn (菩提根, Bodhi root) with seeds of Corypha umbraculifera and xīngyuè (星月, moon and stars) with seeds it calls Daemonorops jenkinsiana. Kew currently treats that latter name as a synonym of Calamus melanochaetes, while noting alternative taxonomies. These observations do not certify a modern listing.
Source: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2014 ↗ · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Plants of the World Online ↗
Modern commercial terminology
Ask what the seller knows
Trade names can be shared or applied inconsistently. Keep the seller’s name, claimed plant, plant part and basis for identification as separate fields; if evidence is absent, mark the species unknown.
Traditional interpretation
Prayer beads in context
The study describes bead materials used in Buddhist prayer and collecting practices. Their use and interpretation vary by community; a material name does not establish a person’s belief or guarantee an outcome.
What this reference cannot tell you
These species associations are examples from one study, not identification rules for an untested object. Scientific names and trade usage can change.
Common questions
New comparison notes: source-checked; independent specialist review pending.
Are Bodhi seeds and rudraksha the same?
Bodhi bead is a broad label used for beads from several plants, while rudraksha commonly refers to beads made from the fruit stone of Elaeocarpus ganitrus. The terms can overlap in trade and religious use; neither label alone identifies an individual bead. Ask for the plant name and evidence, and note that botanical naming may differ among sources.
Source: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2014 ↗ · Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2010 ↗
What are Bodhi beads made of?
Bodhi is a trade and cultural category rather than the name of one plant. A 2014 study of surveyed markets documented bead types made from multiple plant species and parts. Ask for the plant name, part and evidence for the particular beads.
Are Bodhi root beads made from a root?
The study associates the trade name pútí gēn, or Bodhi root, with seeds of Corypha umbraculifera in the surveyed material. A trade name alone does not establish the species or plant part of another seller’s beads.
Do Bodhi beads have proven benefits?
Beads may be used in prayer, collecting or a personal reflective routine. The cited study documents practices and materials; it does not establish that wearing a particular bracelet treats illness or produces a guaranteed outcome.
Sources & further reading
- Seeds used for Bodhi beads in China — Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2014
- Daemonorops jenkinsiana — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — Plants of the World Online
- Pharmacognostic and antifungal investigations of Elaeocarpus ganitrus — Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2010
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