Properties: Neutral, sweet
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Kidney, Spleen, Large Intestine, Small Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Tonifies Blood and Yin and clears Heat in the Kidneys
Deficiency Heat
- Drain Dampness and resolves water accumulations
Oedema
Suggested Daily Dosage: Eaten as food.
Cautions: Beans generally have a high FODMAP score (George Eats, April 2024) although kidney beans are some of the lowest, allowing up to 86g servings. This suggests that, while they are the lowest of beans, they should still be eaten with caution in cases of abdominal distention and swelling due to Spleen Dampness.
Notable Constituents:
- Ergothioneine
Amino acid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions that may have a protective role against cancer and mental health disorders.
- Glycine
Non-essential amino acid that is important in the formation of collagen and glutathione which has been found to be depleted in older adults and supplementation can restore.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
