Winged bean
The Winged bean is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea. It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries, from the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is widely known, yet grown on a small scale in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea.
Winged bean is nutrient rich, and all parts of the plant are edible. Leaves can be eaten like spinach, flowers can be used in salads, tubers can be eaten raw or cooked, seeds can be used in similar ways as the soybean. The winged bean is an underutilized species but has the potential to become a major multi-use food crop in the tropics of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Uses
This bean has been called the "one species supermarket" because practically all of the plant is edible. The beans are used as a vegetable, but the other parts (leaves, flowers, and tuberous roots) are also edible. The tender pods, which are the most widely eaten part of the plant, can be harvested within two to three months of planting. The flowers are often used to color rice and pastries. The flavor of the beans has a similarity to asparagus. The young leaves can be picked and prepared as a leaf vegetable, similar to spinach. The roots can be used as a root vegetable, similar to the potato, and have a nutty flavor; they are also much richer in protein than potatoes. The dried seeds can be useful as a flour and also to make a coffee like drink. Each of these parts of the winged bean provide a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other vitamins. The seeds contain 35% protein and 18% oil.
Health benefits of winged beans:
1. Tender, immature pods of winged beans are one of very low calorie vegetables; 100 g beans contain just 49 calories. Mature seeds, however, has 409 calories per 100 g and has relatively high protein content equivalent to that of soy bean protein.
2. Fresh, young beans are one of the finest sources of folates. 100 g beans provide 66 µg or 16.5% of daily requirement of folates. Folate along with vitamin B-12 is one of the essential components of DNA synthesis and cell division. Adequate folate in the diet around conception and during pregnancy may help prevent neural-tube defects in the newborn baby.
3. Fresh winged beans contain a good amount of vitamin C. 100 g yard-long beans provide 18.3 mg or 31% of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful water-soluble antioxidant and when adequately provided in the diet. It helps build immunity against infections, maintain blood vessel elasticity, and offer some protection from cancers.
4. In addition, winged beans provide adequate amounts of minerals and vitamins. Some important minerals such as iron, copper, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium are concentrated in the beans. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the powerful anti-oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
5. Thiamin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), niacin, and riboflavin are some of important B-complex vitamins embedded in these beans.
6. Winged beans leaves are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A and minerals. 100 g of fresh leaves provide 45 mg of vitamin C (75% of recommended daily value) and 8090 IU of vitamin A (270 % of RDA).
