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| Latin: |
Phaseolus angularis |
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| Origin: |
The seed of Phaseolus angularis (Willd.) W.F. Wight, or Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi var. angularis, belonging to the Leguminosae/Fabaceae family. The crop has been grown and used for many centuries in the Orient. It is native to China, and was introduced to Japan from China about 1,000 years ago and it is now the sixth largest crop and is a frequent subject in Japanese scientific publications. It is a cultigen not found in the wild. The major part of the Chinese crop is produced in the Yangtse River Valley. It also grows in south China and Taiwan, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, India, Thailand, and the Philippines. Some species are planted in Washington state, USA.
The plant is erect, 30-60 cm high, although some gardeners have reported them to be indeterminate, growing and producing until frost. The yellow flowers are followed by a cluster of several smooth, short, small, cylindrical pods. Leaves resemble those of Southern peas, while the pods are much like mung bean pods.
The seeds are smaller than common beans, but are two to three times larger than mung beans. They are variously colored, but most often dark red. Types with green, straw-colored, black-orange, and mottled seeds are known. The round seeds have a hilum (seed scar) with a protruding ridge on the side.
Azuki beans need about 120 days from sowing to the time the seeds and pods are dry. They need cool nights for best production, but will not tolerate frosts and freezes.
The young tender pods may be harvested for use as snap beans. However, they are very small at this stage and the seeds are just beginning to develop inside the pods. Pick every 5 or 6 days. The dry pods split open and scatter the seeds, so harvest the pods after the seeds are ripe but before they shatter. The entire plant with dry pods still attached may be pulled and stacked in a dry, well-ventilated place to dry completely (a week or two after harvest is usually sufficient). The dry shelled beans should be stored in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Both the red bean and azuki bean are of the same species. The size of the red bean is slightly bigger than azuki bean. Traditionally in China, red bean is used mainly as food, and azuki bean is consumed mainly medicinally. For this reason, the herbal classics generally mentioned only the azuki bean, and not the red bean. However, the production of azuki beans is not enough; nowadays, herbalists have been using azuki beans and red beans interchangeably. The functions and applications of both beans are about the same.
Azuki beans are available year-round, dried or canned. They can be found primarily in natural food stores and Asian markets.
Also spelled as Adzuki, or called Adzuki Bean or Adanka Bean.
See also Food, Nuts and Seeds, Red Bean. |
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| Properties: |
| Sweet in flavor, mild in nature, it is related to the channels of the spleen, large intestine and small intestine. |
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| Functions: |
| Benefits the spleen, expels dampness, heals swelling, counteracts toxic effects, drains off pus, promotes milk secretion, disperses blood stasis. |
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| Applications: |
1. For edema (abnormal infiltration and excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or in a serous cavity), little urination due to deficiency of the spleen:
Cook azuki with carp well-done until they are paste-like and consume the food.
2. For diarrhea:
Boil azuki with Job's tears and hyacinth beans for two hours and drink the soup.
3. For lack of milk secretion after childbirth:
Cook azuki with rice in porridge and consume it.
4. For dysentery, hemorrhoids (mass of dilated veins in swollen tissue at the margin of the anus or nearby within the rectum):
Boil azuki in water for two hours and drink the soup. |
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| Dosage and Administration: |
Boil in soup, or grind into powder for topical application.
Azuki is also used primarily as a dry bean, for sprouts, whole, or ground into bean meal, but many cooks use them green. Since it has a sweeter taste than most beans, it is sometimes used in desserts.
Look for shiny beans that are richly colored reddish-brown or brownish-purple. Store dried adzuki beans in an airtight container or jar. |
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| Cautions on Use: |
| Because azuki is good at expelling dampness from the body, those who are thin should avoid consuming azuki too much for too long as it would make them even thinner. |
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| Reference Materials: |
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| Modern Researches: |
In every 100 g of azuki, there are 272 calories, 25 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 11 g total fibre, 3 g soluable fibre, 84 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 5 mg zinc, 1,220 mg potassium, and fat, sugars, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2.
The ripe seeds contain 25% protein and are highly nutritious. |
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