Legumes mainly include lentils, sword beans, peas, cowpeas, etc. Most people only know that they contain high-quality protein and unsaturated fatty acids (good fats), and their mineral and vitamin content is also higher than other vegetables, but they don't know that they also have important medicinal value.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that the common characteristic of legumes is that they are neutral in nature and have the effect of resolving dampness and tonifying the spleen, making them especially suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach. However, depending on the type, their therapeutic effects also differ.
Lentils:
Usually eaten in summer and autumn. They can have a certain therapeutic effect on loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and leucorrhea in women caused by a weak spleen and stomach. Diabetics, due to a weak spleen and stomach, often feel dry mouth and tongue, so it is best to eat more lentils. Women can stir-fry lentils into a powder, take 6-12 grams each time with rice wine or warm water, which can relieve the symptoms of excessive leucorrhea.
Sword beans:
Sweet in taste and warm in nature, they have the effect of warming the spleen and stomach, promoting the downward flow of Qi, benefiting the kidneys, and replenishing vital energy. They are suitable for symptoms such as Qi stagnation, hiccups, chest tightness and discomfort, and lower back pain. Young sword beans are used for boiling or making pickles, not only are they delicious, but they also have a warming and tonic effect; old sword beans are best for treating hiccups.
Cowpeas:
Also known as long beans. In addition to strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, their most important function is to tonify the kidneys. Li Shizhen once praised them for being able to "regulate the middle burner and replenish Qi, tonify the kidneys and strengthen the stomach, harmonize the five organs, regulate the Ying and Wei, and generate essence and marrow." The so-called "Ying and Wei" refers to the Ying and Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. When these are balanced, it can fully ensure a person's sleep quality. In addition, eating more cowpeas can also treat discomforts such as vomiting and hiccups. When children have food stagnation and abdominal distension, chewing an appropriate amount of raw cowpeas and swallowing them can provide some relief.
Peas:
Peas are sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Regular consumption can tonify the middle burner and replenish Qi, and promote urination. They are suitable for symptoms such as poor appetite and abdominal bloating caused by a weak spleen and stomach. Lactating women who eat them can also help increase milk production.