What is Jack Bean Health Benefits and Uses? Jack bean is a plant that is widespread in tropical Africa and America. It is included in the legume plant which in scientific language is called Canavalia ensiformis. Its benefits are as a storehouse of human nutrition and as fodder for livestock. People in Mexico used to use this plant as pig feed, and they called it feijão-de-porco.
Jack Bean has 500 genera and 15000 species worldwide. There are various types of these plants that are cultivated and some grow wild in the wild. Due to the spread of his growth, his names are also very numerous. Among the names used for jack bean is Sword bean, Giant stock-bean, ensiform bean, Wonder bean, gotani-bean, horse-bean, Chickasaw, seaside-bean, Overlook Bean, Saber-Bean, Brazilian broad bean, Coffee bean , five beans, Chickasaw five beans, Mole beans, and Pearson beans.
Plant description
Jack bean, known as Canavalia ensiformis, are drought-resistant plants and they are also resistant to pests. This plant actually prefers dry soil over wet soil. It can survive for a long time in dry soil and its long roots creeping in the soil can actually fix nitrogen with its nodules.
The growth of jack bean can grow up to 50 cm to 200 cm even under certain conditions when it has good support for vines, it can grow up to 10 meters. As a heat-tolerant crop, jack bean can also withstand extreme soils with high acid levels without nutrients.
Leaves
Jack bean has large leaves that are 8 inches or 20 cm in size, while 4 inches wide. The leaves are tapered at the end and it has 3 daughters. The size of the petiole is the same as the size of the leaflet. The leaves are trifoliating and grow alternately stems that are wrapped around other plants.
Flowers and Fruit
The jack bean plant has purplish or white flowers with a red base color. Flower size is 12 cm with a width of 3.8 cm if in fertile conditions. While the seeds are located on a sword-shaped stalk with a size of 1-2 cm. While the pods when ripe are white and the seeds are brown. One pod can occupy as many as 20 seeds or more.
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The Health Benefits of Jack Bean
Jack bean is vines with their pods that are rich in nutrients. This plant is sometimes cultivated as a vegetable or as a nutritional supplement for humans. There are also those who use jack bean as animal feed. Below we see what are the health benefits of jack bean.
1. Prevent and reduce the risk of cancer
Cancer is a disease that occurs due to damage to cells. The antioxidant content in it can inhibit cell damage or prevent cells from mutating. Consuming jack bean regularly is good for reducing cancer risk. Not only cancer, but also other diseases. The anti-inflammatory content in jack bean is also very good at preventing inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and others.
2. Improve intestinal health
Jack bean or Canavalia ensiformis are fiber-rich plants that are good for digestive health. Consuming these nuts regularly is good for improving intestinal health, it can stimulate the smooth disposal of waste and toxins in the body. When the disposal of the llimbha is smooth, automatic constipation can be overturned and various other intestinal diseases can also be overcome.
3. Lose weight
One of the benefits of these legumes is that they can lose weight. So, for those of you who are on a diet to lose weight, you must consume jack bean diligently. The reason is, this vegetable is rich in fiber and has little caloric value. Just as little as we consume, we feel full because of the high fiber content.
In addition, if we consume large amounts, these legumes also do not cause fat formation because they are low in calories. So, don’t forget to include these vegetables in your diet.
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4. Increase muscle mass
It is also rich in protein which is very good in building muscle, this is the same as green bean which are rich in protein. You want to get ideal muscle mass and still be able to maintain your weight, so consuming jack bean can be the solution. For sportsmen, eating jack bean is very good because it can heal injured muscles quickly and can increase muscle mass and build it.
5. Good for boosting immunity
The large amount of vitamin C in jack bean is very beneficial for us because this vitamin C acts as an agent for immunity. Various causes of disease such as bacteria, microorganisms and viruses can be overcome by the body if the body’s immunity or defense system is good.
Entering flu and cough season, this is the best thing to consume jack bean to make the body’s defense system strong.
6. Beautify the skin
Another benefit of consuming jack bean is that it provides nutrients to the skin so that the skin is always healthy. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has a role in maintaining skin resilience and strength so that it is not prone to aging and wrinkling. It also functions as a builder of collagen, a protein essential in maintaining healthy skin.
7. Prevent heart disease
Heart disease is a dangerous disease because it occurs in the most important organ in controlling the body. Jack bean is rich in fiber and antioxidants. It plays an important role in lowering bad cholesterol so that it keeps the heart healthy.
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Bad cholesterol is the cause of high blood pressure and heart problems. It causes blockage of blood vessels so that the blood pressure in the heart becomes strong. This is what causes high blood pressure and other problems.
The Traditional Use of Jack Bean
Apart from being useful as medicine, the jack bean plant is also rich in benefits for various traditional uses. Below we see what are the traditional uses of this plant.
- Used as a traditional medicine in treating boils, the whole plant is pounded halan and smeared on the boils, this is practiced in China
- In Nigeria, jack bean is used as an antibiotic and as an anti-septic.
- Jack bean or C. gladiata plants are traditionally used as a remedy for vomiting, lumbago associated with kidneys, stomach aches, asthma, dysentery, headaches, obesity, coughs, epilepsy and several other diseases.
- The Japanese used the plant jack bean as an ancient medicine in treating ailments such as cancers, pyorrhea, hemorrhoids, boils, ozena, otitis media, and other inflammatory diseases.
- Korean people use the jack bean plant as an ingredient in soap making. It can serve as a medicine to treat water fleas and acne.
- In the Malay peninsula, this plant is used as a medicine for gonorrhea
- The leaves are ground as a medicine for ulcers
Culinary Uses
- In food, young seeds from jack bean is commonly eaten as a vegetable
- Nuts are widely used as clear vegetables
- Raw seeds are also cooked and used in certain dishes
- The roasted seeds can be used as a substitute for coffee as practiced in Cuba.
- Young leaves can also be cooked like spinach
- Young pods can be cooked and chopped as vegetables