White lentils, a kind of crop, can be dried and eaten after frying. White lentils are sweet in taste, slightly warm in nature, and have the effects of invigorating spleen, eliminating dampness, diuresis, detumescence, clearing liver and improving eyesight. White lentils, also known as white lentils, white lentils and southern lentils; Latin name Dolicho, lablabL. The mature seeds of the annual twining herb lentil. Lentils originated in tropical areas such as India and Indonesia, and were introduced to China around the Han and Jin Dynasties. Harvest ripe fruits in autumn and winter, dry them, take out the seeds, and then dry them. The seeds are oblate, ovoid or oblate, the surface is pale purple, red, white or yellowish, smooth and slightly shiny, and there is a raised white half-moon caruncle on one side edge. Slight breath, light taste, and bean smell when chewed.

Angiosperm phylum; magnoliopsida

White lentil, a crop, is an annual vine. The stem is smooth. Pinnate trifoliate compound leaves, leaflets 3, terminal leaflets broadly triangular, lateral leaflets obliquely ovate, stipules small and lanceolate. Racemes axillary, erect, inflorescence axis stout; 2 flowers at most; Bracteoles 2, deciduous; Calyx broadly campanulate, calyx teeth 5, unequal in length; Corolla butterfly-shaped, white or purplish red, about 2 cm long, with spikes at the base of flag petal.

Pods obovate-oblong, slightly curved, flat, 5-7 cm long; 2-5 seeds, white or purple-black, about 8 mm long. The flowering period is July-August, and the fruiting period is 9-65438+1October. When it matures, it is oblate or oblate, about 0.8- 1.2 cm long, 0.6-0.9 cm wide and 0.4-0.7 cm thick. The surface is yellow-white, smooth and shiny, and there is a half-moon white convex seed hill on one side edge, accounting for about 1/3- 1/2 of the perimeter. After peeling, a sunken hilum can be seen, with a 1 micropyle at one end near the inoculation mound and a short seed ridge at the other end. It's hard. The seed coat is thin and brittle, with 2 small leaves inside, thick, yellowish white and horny. It tastes like beans when chewed. Flowering from July to September; Fruit-bearing period: September-165438+1October.

White lentils like warm and humid climate and are afraid of frost. After being damaged by frost, the light one will affect its growth, and the heavy one will die. The seedling stage needs to be moist, so pay attention to watering. The flowering period requires drought, high air and soil humidity, and it is easy to drop flowers. I like to plant on fertile and well-drained sandy soil.

edibleness

White lentils have high nutritional value, higher mineral and vitamin contents than most root vegetables and melons, and are tender and delicious. According to the food composition table compiled by the Institute of Health Research of China Academy of Sciences, every100g of white lentils contains 2.8g of protein, 0.2g of fat, 5.4g of sugar, 35kcal of calories, 4g of crude fiber1.4g of calcium16mg of iron1. White lentils are a good tonic, and summer heat is a cool drink.

Medicinal value

The written records of white lentils were first found in the Records of Famous Doctors written by Tao Hongjing in Qi Liang of the Southern Dynasties. Li Ming's Compendium of Materia Medica says: "Take hard-shell white lentils, fry them with skin and use them as medicine." "Hard-shelled white lentils, their sons are full, white and yellowish, with a fishy smell, warm and even, almost neutral, and the valley of the spleen is also. People are too divided into yin qi, which can benefit triple energizer and clear turbidity. Therefore, it specializes in treating intrauterine diseases, clearing away heat, eliminating dampness and detoxifying. " Its soft shell and black magpie are slightly cooler, but it can be eaten and has the function of regulating the spleen and stomach. "The Pharmacopoeia of China compiled by the Pharmacopoeia Committee of the Ministry of Health also says: White lentils strengthen the spleen and stomach, clear away summer heat and promote diuresis. Used for spleen and stomach weakness, diarrhea due to summer dampness, and leucorrhea. In a word, white lentil is a treasure, and its fruit (white lentil), peel (lentil coat), flowers and leaves can all be used as medicine. Sweet in nature, slightly warm, it enters the spleen and stomach, and has the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, neutralizing dampness, relieving summer heat and detoxicating. It is mainly used to treat spleen and stomach weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal distension and pain in summer heat, and leucorrhea with red and white discharge. It can also relieve alcohol toxicity.

pharmacological action

1. antibacterial and antiviral effects 100% white lentil soup has inhibitory effect on Shigella dysenteriae; It has detoxification effect on vomiting and acute gastroenteritis caused by food poisoning. The water extract of white lentil has inhibitory effect on Colombian SK virus in mice.

2. Effect on immune function: 0.3ml of 20% white lentil cold salt soaking solution can promote the formation of active E- rosettes, that is, enhance the activity of T lymphocytes and improve the immune function of cells.

3. Poisonous white lentils contain plant lectin, which is not unique to human red blood cells. Water-insoluble lectin has antitrypsin activity and can inhibit the growth of experimental animals, so it is a toxic component. The other enzyme has non-competitive trypsin inhibitory activity, which is also reduced by heating. At the concentration of 10mg/kg, the coagulation time of citric acid plasma can be prolonged from 20s to 60s due to the inhibition of thrombin.