Official name: Bean pods

Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Other names: broad bean, white bean, “lentil”, bean

Description: Phaseolus vulgaris is an annual plant from the Leguminosae family with a well-developed root system and a highly branched, up to 60 cm. high green stem. The leaves of the medicinal plant are complex, triple, ovate, entire, with short pointed tips. The flowers are pink or white, collected in axillary racemes that are shorter than the leaves. The fruit is a bean up to 20 cm. long with kidney-shaped or elliptical seeds in envelopes (pods), which are two-parted and when dry split along the seam connecting the lobes. The medicinal plant blooms in summer (June - July), and its fruits ripen until autumn. The plant is cultivated throughout Bulgaria.

Part of the herb used: The bean pods (Cortex fructus phaseoli) are used.

Harvest time: The bean pods are harvested from August to October when they are fully ripe. The collected material is dried in the sun, then threshed. The seeds are separated and the bean pods are cleaned of stems, sticks, damaged parts and other impurities. White or yellow beans are used for medicinal purposes.

Chemical composition/Contents and properties: Phaseolus vulgaris contain amino acids, pipecolic acid, choline trigonelline, traumatitic acid, allantoin, etc. Dry bean pods contain arginine (insulin-like substance), asparagine, lysine, choline, silicic acid, tannins, etc.

Medicinal action and application: Thanks to the arginine they contain, bean pods break down sugars and lower blood sugar. They have a dehydrating effect. They are used for mild forms of diabetes, heart diseases, gout, edema of various origins, inflammation of the urinary tract, fluid retention, mild hypertension, etc. Bean pod powder is applied directly to the skin and relieves itching and pain in skin eczema and fresh wounds.

Possibilities to offer at the customer's request:

Vesselino Ltd. offers their customers the plant in the following varieties:

- Bean pods (Cortex fructus phaseoli) - dried whole, crushed, cut to a certain size according to the customer's request, ground into herbal powder/flour