Chinese people have a long tradition of eating beans. Red beans, mung beans, and their by-products are common staples on the dining table. Although red beans and mung beans both serve as "guardians" of human health, their "natures" are not entirely the same. Only by better understanding the characteristics of these "beans" can we use them both as food and medicine to regulate our bodies according to our individual constitutions, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, red beans are neutral in nature, sweet and sour in taste, and non-toxic. They have the functions of nourishing and strengthening the body, invigorating the spleen and nourishing the stomach, promoting urination to remove dampness, clearing heat and detoxifying, promoting lactation, and nourishing the blood. They are particularly suitable as a dietary therapy for patients with various types of edema. Modern research has found that red beans contain saponins, which can promote bowel movements and urination, and have a supportive therapeutic effect on edema caused by heart or kidney disease.
Mung beans, on the other hand, are sweet in taste and cold in nature, and have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving summer heat and quenching thirst. Modern medical research has shown that mung beans are rich in protein. The protein content in raw mung bean milk, made by soaking and grinding raw mung beans, is quite high. When taken orally, it can protect the gastrointestinal mucosa. Furthermore, the phytosterols in mung beans can help lower serum cholesterol levels by reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines and inhibiting its synthesis. Therefore, they are especially suitable for patients with hyperlipidemia.
Although these two types of beans each have their own "advantages," a special reminder is needed: for women, red beans are particularly suitable. Red beans are rich in iron and have a blood-nourishing effect, making them an excellent supplement during menstruation. According to Japanese tradition, when a daughter gets her first period, her mother will cook a pot of red bean rice. Besides symbolizing a blessing for the girl's transition to womanhood, it also has the practical effects of replenishing menstrual nutrition and preventing iron-deficiency anemia.
Many young mothers often feel extremely anxious about insufficient milk production or a complete lack of it after childbirth. In China's traditional food therapy, there are many folk remedies and recipes for promoting lactation. For insufficient milk caused by a deficiency of qi and blood, one can take nourishing foods like pig trotter soup. For patients with breast distension and pain, and a failure of milk let-down due to qi and blood stagnation, red beans can also help. Red beans have the effect of relieving distension and promoting lactation. By cooking 120 grams of small red beans into congee twice a day (morning and evening) for 3 to 5 consecutive days, the condition can be alleviated.