One of the biological wealth scarcely cultivated and almost forgotten in the community that is winged. Psophocarpus tetragonolobus or winged bean (L.) DC is a native of tropical plants and is spread all over Indonesia. In some areas known as star fruit Beans (North Sumatra, West Sumatra), Beans embing (Palembang), Jaat (Sunda), Cipir, winged bean (Java), Kelongkang (Bali), Biraro (Manado, Ternate).
Since 1975, the winged bean was already predicted to be very promising in the future as biological materials of high economic value and has a myriad of benefits, including as a herbal medicine. But the present reality just does not realize its existence by the community. Therefore, let's explore what it was back winged bean plants.
Description and Benefits
Stems and tubers
Winged bean plants grow vines, bushy. Height can reach 3-4 m, usually given in the cultivation of a buffer, but if left unchecked will cover the soil surface. The stem is cylindrical, jointed, rarely woody. Winged bean tubers taste slightly sweet, ivory-white flesh, fibrous solid as an apple, but less pleasant smells. Tuber protein (10.9 g) was five times higher than potatoes, and sweet potato gadung. Some of the benefits of winged bean tubers:
- Bulbs not old can be eaten after steamed / boiled / "dibubuy";
- Can be made after boiling chips, thinly sliced and fried. Winged bean tubers can be eaten like a yam;
- In the country of Myanmar, winged bean tubers are usually boiled until tender and eaten as a snack with vegetable oil and salt, and
- As the ulcer drug with added sugar cube.
Leaf
Compound leaves with three leaflets triangular-shaped, 7.0 to 8.5 cm long, pinnate pertulangan, where the criss-cross, a green color. Winged bean leaves is said to be used as a cure sore eyes, earache, and ulcers. Leaves, especially those rich in dark green provitamin A. Protein (5,07,6 g) higher than cassava leaves (6.9 g), spinach (3.6 g), taro leaves (4.1 g) per 100 grams.
Interest
Single flower, butterfly type, grown from axillary leaves, petals are usually pale blue and has an advantage capable of self-pollinated. Such as squash and flowers turi flowers, winged flowers are also delicious eaten raw as a salad or fresh vegetable, boiled, or fried. Tastes good like a mushroom. The flowers can be processed into condiments, spices, candy, and natural dyes. Winged bean protein of interest (5.6 g) is greater than banana (1.6 g) and squash flower (1.3 g) per 100 grams.
fruit kecipirBuah
Fruit pod type, elongated, rectangular-shaped with an angle beringgit, pod length between 5-35 cm, a width of about 2.5 cm, containing 5-20 seeds. Harvesting is done after a 80-120 day-old plants, when the pod was about 21 days after anthesis. Young pods, the plant is the most widely used as a vegetable, it can be eaten raw (as a salad), boiled, or mixed with other vegetables as a vegetable acid, vegetables lodeh, ointment, Karedok, pecel, gado-gado. Can also be processed by pan-fried or dioseng. In Bangladesh, young pods are fried and eaten with fish or meat.
One hundred grams of young peas contain vitamin A (340-595 SI), iron (0.2 to 12.0 mg), vitamin C (21-37 mg), as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. For vegetables, young pods not only superior in nutrition, flavor also typical.
Seed
Winged bean seeds round with 8-10mm diameter, brown to black. Weight ranges from 0.06 to 0.40 grams. Old winged bean seeds best nutritional composition, although more widely used as a seed rather than food. Contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals is quite high compared to the young pods, tubers, and leaves.
Winged bean has a protein content and oil / fat which is very similar to soybeans. On a humid tropical environments soybean cultivated properly difficult. Therefore, the winged bean is cultivated in Indonesia is more potent than soy.
Behenat acidic winged bean was the fatty acid that is not absorbed by the intestine so it does not cause obesity when consumed by many humans.
Hopefully Helpful
Sources: majarimagazine.com
winged bean crop potential of herbal medicine in Indonesia
