Pinyin: Lüdou
Aliases
Qing Xiaodou.
Source
1. Legume plant mung bean.Vigna radiataDried mature seeds of (L.) R. Wilczak.
Botanical Description
Annual erect or slightly twining herb at apex. Approximately 60 cm tall, covered with short brown stiff hairs. Three-foliate compound leaves, alternate; petiole 9-12 cm long; leaflets 3, broadly ovate to rhomboid-ovate, lateral leaflets oblique, 6-10 cm long, 2.5-7.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, base rounded, cuneate or truncate, both surfaces sparsely covered with long stiff hairs; stipules broadly ovate, stipels linear. Racemes axillary, peduncle shorter than or nearly equal to petiole; bracts ovate or ovate-oblong, with long stiff hairs; flowers greenish-yellow; calyx obliquely campanulate, calyx teeth 4, the lowest tooth longest, nearly glabrous; standard reniform, wings with gradually narrowed claw, keel with truncate claw, one keel petal with horn; stamens 10, diadelphous; ovary sessile, densely covered with long stiff hairs. Legume cylindrical, 6-8 cm long, approximately 6.5 mm wide, black when mature, sparsely covered with brown long stiff hairs. Seeds green or dark green, oblong. Flowering period June to July, fruiting period August.
Habitat and Distribution
Cultivated in many provinces and regions across the country.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest the seeds after they mature following the Beginning of Autumn (Liqiu), pull up the entire plant, dry it in the sun, thresh the seeds, and winnow to remove impurities.
Medicinal Properties
Seeds short-oblong, 4-6 mm long. Surface greenish-yellow, dark green, or greenish-brown, smooth and glossy. Hilum located on one side of the seed, white, linear, approximately half the length of the seed. Seed coat thin and tough; after peeling, two thick cotyledons, pale yellowish-green or yellowish-white, are revealed. Odor: faint; taste: beany flavor when chewed.
Chemical Constituents
This product mainly contains protein, fat, and carbohydrate components.
Pharmacology
Lowers lipids and resists atherosclerosis; resists tumors; protects the liver and kidneys.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, cold. Enters the Heart, Liver, and Stomach channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat, eliminates Summerheat, promotes urination, and resolves toxicity. Main indications: summerheat vexation and thirst, common cold with fever, cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, phlegm-heat wheezing, headache and red eyes, mouth and tongue sores, edema with scanty urine, sores and abscesses, wind rash and erysipelas, and drug and food poisoning.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decocted in water, 15-30 g; for high doses, up to 120 g; ground into powder; or ground fresh to extract juice. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder for topical application.
Precautions and Contraindications
For medicinal use, the skin should not be peeled. Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold and slippery diarrhea should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For cold and fever: Lüdou (mung bean) 30 g, scallion with roots (white part) 3 pieces. Decoct in water, mix with white sugar and take orally, twice daily. (Gansu Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) 2. For summer-heat vomiting and diarrhea: Lüdou (mung bean) 5 gě (approx. 500 mL). Decoct into soup, cool immediately, mix with Liuyi San 9 g and take. (Bencao Huiyan) 3. For constant eating without satiety, resembling wasting-thirst: Lüdou (mung bean), tangerine peel, wheat, 1 shēng each (approx. 1 L). Dry-fry until cooked, grind into powder. Take 1 shēng of the powder each time, mix with boiling water and take. (Shoushi Qingbian, Doumai Tang) 4. For wind-type headache with eye pain, to brighten the eyes: Use Lüdou (mung bean) as a pillow; sleeping on it will eliminate wind-type headache and red-eye conditions. (Puji Fang) 5. For fire-eye (acute conjunctivitis): Lüdou (mung bean) 60 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Hunan Materia Medica)
