#Curative properties of #Soybean The Soybean contains many medicinal virtues. While most of the proteins are acid in their ash, soybean is rich in alkaline bearing salts and hence regarded as a corrective diet. The Chinese, who consume soybeans liberally, believe that it makes the body plump, improves the complexion, stimulates the growth and removes constipation and many other physical ailments. Modern researches carried out in the laboratories in Europe and America have corroborated much of these claims. Soybean, especially in the form of milk, is highly beneficial in the treatment of several ailments This milk is prepared by soaking the beans in water for about 12 hours The skin of the beans is then removed and after a thorough wash, they are turned into fine paste in a grinding machine. The paste is mixed with water, three times its quantity. The milk should then be boiled on a slow fire, stirring it frequently After it becomes a little cooler, it should be strained through a piece of thin cloth and sugar be added to it. Soybean milk is at par in importance with cows milk in feeding children. Investigations have shown that 90 per cent of the soybean protein is absorbed in the body and 95 to 100 pet cent of the milk is digested. Soybean milk is very helpful in maintaining intestinal health. The soybean curd is a health food par excellence It is better than soybean milk in taste and aroma and it very much resembles the dairy curd The curd is prepared by allowing the milk to cool, then seeded with a small quantity of cows milk curd or soybean milk curd and allowed to remain for 12 hours to set. Its regular use will help maintain the intestinal health, prevent diseases arising from defective digestion and retard the aging process. One of the chief uses of soybeans is as a source of lecithin, which is a great natural emulsifier. Lecithin, as is well known helps disperse deposits of fatty materials and cholesterol in certain vital organs. It is rich in substances which are important for the proper functioning of all living cells in the body. It is also an important component around brain and nerve cells. Lecithin is so abundant in soybeans that most of the lecithin used commercially comes from them. Diabetes Soybean contains a fairly large amount of carbohydrate but there is little or no starch in it. It is, therefore, regarded as a very suitable food for diabetic patient. Its carbohydrate produces heat and energy in the body without causing sugar to appear in the urine. Skin Disorders The soybean is regarded as a valuable food remedy in eczema and other skin affections. It renders unnecessary the use of animal protein, that is, meat, eggs and milk and thus reduces the inflammatory activities in the skin and is free from the tendency to produce sensitivity or allergic reactions which so frequently attend the users of all animal proteins. When soybean is taken liberally, the intense itching diminishes almost immediately and disappears completely after a few days. The skin lesions also often vanish after some days. Improvement in skin health presumably occurs due to its lecithin content - a natural emulsifier which helps disperse fatty deposits and cholesterol from vital organs. Anaemia Soybean, being rich in iron, has been found beneficial in the treatment of anaemia. As, however, the anaemic patients suffer from weak digestion, it should be given to them in a very light form which may be easily digested. Uses Soybeans are used in other forms such as flour, green beans, sprouts and oil. The Soya flour is one of the most widely used products of soybean. In the West, the soybean flour industry has grown to immense proportions. The Soya flour is prepared by first roasting the soybeans and removing their coatings. They are then turned into powder. It is by far more nutritious than the wheat flour. It contains 15 times as much calcium, seven times as much phosphorus, 10 times as much iron, 10 times as much thiamine and nine times as much riboflavin as wheat flour. Precautions Soybean contains a bitter substance which can be removed by soaking soybean in six cupfuls of warm water containing half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate for 10 minutes. The process also removes the colouring matter from soybean. Soybeans contains a factor which inhibits the action of the digestive enzyme trypsin. This factor can be destroyed by heating.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:29:07 +0000
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