Product Overview
Parts used: Dried ripe seeds
TCM category: Tonic herbs for Qi Deficiency
TCM nature: Warm
TCM taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: Spleen Stomach
Scientific name: Dolicho lablab
Other names: Bonavist bean, Bonavist pea, Dolichos bean, Seim bean, Lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, Bataw, Australian pea
Use of hyacinth beans (Bai Bian Dou) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitionner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Harvest the fruits when mature, sun dry them and collect the seeds
Dosage: 3 - 6 beans
Main actions according to TCM*: Treats Summer Heat. Strengthens the Spleen and clears Damp-Heat. Relieves diarrhea and vomiting.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which hyacinth beans may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Loss of appetite Diarrhea Leukorrhea Vomiting Chest congestion
Contraindications*: Avoid with alternating fever and chills and Cold disorders.
Common TCM formulas in which hyacinth beans are used*:
For Summer Heat (heat stroke) combine hyacinth beans with honeysuckle flowers (Jin Yin Hua) and vietnamese balm (Xiang Ru).
For Summer Heat syndromes with symptoms of Dampness with chills and fever combine hyacinth beans with vietnamese balm (Xiang Ru) and korean mint (Huo Xiang).
For fever without sweating and stupor combine hyacinth beans with sweet wormwood herbs (Qing Hao) and talc (Hua Shi).
Key TCM concepts behind hyacinth beans (Bai Bian Dou)'s properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hyacinth beans are plants that belong to the 'Tonic herbs for Qi Deficiency' category. Tonic herbs are used for patterns of Deficiency, when one lacks one of the 'Four Treasures' (Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang). Qi tonics are typically sweet and they tend to enter the Spleen and Lungs because these organs are most involved with the production of Qi.
Furthermore hyacinth beans are plants that are Warm in nature. This means that hyacinth beans tend to help people who have too much "cold" in their body, although with less effect than a plant that would be Hot in nature. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much cold in their body are said to either have a Yin excess (because Yin is Cold in nature) or a Yang deficiency (Yang is Hot in Nature). Depending on your condition hyacinth beans can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Hyacinth beans also taste Sweet. The so-called "five elements" theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sweet ingredients like hyacinth beans tend to slow down acute reactions and detoxify the body. They also have a tonic effect because they replenish Qi and Blood.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what organs and meridians they target. As such hyacinth beans are thought to target the Spleen and the Stomach. In TCM the Spleen assists with digestion, blood coagulation and fluid metabolism in the body. The Stomach on the other hand is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine.
Use of hyacinth beans (Bai Bian Dou) as food
Hyacinth beans are also eaten as food. It is used as an ingredient in dishes such as Roasted Lablab Beans or Hithik Avare.
