fava beans

Has anyone on the list ever tried fava beans? I started taking them about a month ago, and they seem to work miracles. I have peripheral neuropathy, and it had gotten to the point that the pain was so bad, I just sat in my chair shaking and crying. I looked up Parkinson's disease on the net, and it said that it was called by an inbalance of L-dopa, a "feel-good / anti--pain" brain chemical, and the article further said that it was treated with Rx L-dopa, BUT, that fava beans had more natural L-dopa in them than the Rx does, but nobody wanted to try the beans, they wanted drugs that cost hundreds of $$$$.

Well, I found some fava beans in an Italian grocery store, took them home and soaked them overnight. next day, I ate 6 beans, 2 at each meal. By the next day, some of my pain was diminished. It works that fast. By the first week, I was up to 10-12 beans a day, and my pain level went from a constant 8 or 9, to a 3 or 4. After a month, pain level hovers at 2 or 3. It has never gone away, but now I can walk!

Although there are side effects with the Rx l-dopa, the only side effect of eating fava beans, is that they increase production of HGH in the pituitary gland. HGH is being researched as an anti aging miracle at this time. We stop producing it, or it slows down dramatically after puberty, then we age. HGH repairs tissue throughout the body, gives you all sorts of energy, and is a veritable fountain of youth. People can get injections of HGH, with a prescription and thousands of $$$$. Beans are cheap.

Do a search of fava beans, HGH and L-dopa on the web, and see what it says.

here is some info I found on fava from James Duke: Pretty good stuff!

Fava beans are now found in the listings of Medicinal herb suppliers around the world. The reason? L-dopa. It seems that the pods of Favas contain various amounts of l-dopa, depending on the varietyl L-dopa is a chemical neurotransmitter, the lack of which produces Parkinson’s disease. The pods are being researched by the medical community as a source of l-dopa, and are being prescribed or formulated by Narturopaths and other wholistic Medical Practitioners.

The pods also appear in folk medicine, as a topical anti-fungal. Obtain fresh, green fava pods, and rub the inside, fuzzy surface of the pod on the area to be treated. This might be effective for athlets foot (tinia), ringworm, and warts, as well as other minor fungal infections.

(The Fava Bean Project, 1992, 1998; http://members.efn.org/~rossr/ch18.html)

The bean produces the compound l-dopa, which corrects the imbalance in the brain between dopamine and acetylcholine. Drug companies regularly prescribe l-dopa for Parkinson’s disease. Beans are a hell of a lot cheaper than drugs. Not only that, the Fava beans are richer in l-dopa than the standard commercial drug!

You will get gas though, and have to work up to where your digestion becomes tolerant. (www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/medicine.html)

Soaking the beans for a few days, (changing the soaking water several times a day) will take a good bit of the "toot" out of the beans. Soaking removes the enzyme inhibitors (enzymes that keep the bean from sprouting unles there is sufficient moisture to permit life), and it is these enzyme inhibitors that produce much of the CO2 aka flatulence. The bean becomes a plant, even before it has sprouted, and causes less flatulence.

Most beans are high in fiber and low in fat, just the ticket for lowering cholesterol. And they contain lecithin, a nutrient that also helps reduce cholesterol levels. One study found that a daily bowl of bean soup cuts cholesterol by 19%. Cooking and eating dried beans has been linked to reduced risk of diabetes and obesity, thanks to their effect on blood sugar and insulin response. New research from the Canadian Dept of Agriculture finds that dried beans also contain antioxidants, particularly phenols, which are potent free radical scavengers. Even without the phyto-estrogens ro Cox-2 inhibitors in beans, they protect against breast, cervical, colon, liver, skin and stomach cancers.

Immature fava beans and pods can be eaten as a vegetable before the pods mature and dry.

The fava is an ancient crop and a mystery. Small fava seeds were discovereed at an archaeological site in northern Isreal, dating to 6500 BC, but there is no archaeological evidence showing how humans domesticated this crop. All close relatives of the fava have 14 chromosomes, fava has only 12. It cannot hybridize with any of its relatives, abnd it did not descend from any of them. Where the fava came from is obscure, for no wild fava has ever been found. it is presumed that inthe intervening centuries, the wild fava went extinct. (Vicia faba L; F. J. Muhelbauer and Abebe Tylly, NewCrop, Purdue University, 1997)

Fava beans are high in genistein, as are adzuki, black-eyed peas, and mung beans.

The fava bean may in all likelihood is superior to the currently heralded drug Tamoxifen for the prevention of breast and prostate cancers. These beans may possible contain even more anti-cancer compounds, specifically Bowman Birk inhibitors, estrogenic isoflavones, phytic acid, phytoesterols, and saponins than soy.

Certain varieties of fava beans possess remarkably high levels of natural l-dopa, which has been used successfully in anti-aging therapy. The l-dopa in these beans increases levels of dopamine in the brain, which may quell cravings for alcohol and other addictive drugs that reward the brain with dopamine. Parkinson’s disease is caused by an inbalance between dopamine and acetylcholine, and is medically treated with drugs like levodopa or laradopa.

A more natural approach when the brain is no longer able to generate dopamine on its own? Eat more fava beans, which can take over and do what the body cannot do for itself.

The lowly bean contains countless healing substances, including many benefits found in pharmaceutical drugs. Here are only a few:

Alpha linolenic acid, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, prevents abnormal blood clumping and helps lower blood pressure, while supporting the immune system.

Apigenin, a Cox-2 inhibitor and sunscreen. Also protects against cancer and toxins in foods.

Beta-sitisterol, is an antiviral plant sterol, which protects against breast cancer and leukemia, while inhibiting inflammatory prostaglandins.

Daidzein, an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiviral, protects against irregular heart rhythm and, as a plant estrogen, may prevent osteoporosis.

GABA fights high blood pressure and stress.

Genistein, another estrogenic isoflavone with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties, prevents abnormal blood coltting and atherosclerosis, while inhibiting osteoporosis and tumor promotion.

Phytic acid prevents abnormal blood clumping and fights cancer.

Stigmasterol, a plant sterol, helps protect the liver and prevent cancer.

Tryptophan, an amino acid that produces the "happy" neurotransmitter serotonin, relieves anxiety and helps you sleep.

(Editorial advisor James A. Duke, botanical database for the US Dept. pf Agriculture: www.tasteforlife.com/ feature.magicbeans.tfl)

James Duke in his plant dispensery lists 529 active chemicals in the fava.

FYI...NOTE...there is a very rare genetic disorder called favism, that strikes people of ancient greek origin. they are allergic to raw fava beans. (cooked ones pose no threat) however, people with this disorder should not consume raw fava beans. there is a blood test to determine if one has this disorder. They lack the G6PD enzyme. I look at it this way. fava is a legume. Peanuts are a legume. Some people are deathly allergic to peanuts, yet peanut butter is sold in every grocery store in America and around the world. I included this note so anyone interested in the fava bean would be informed.

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