Linn. var. typicus Prain.Synonym: Lablab purpureus Linn.Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.
Habitat: Cultivated throughout India.
English: Indian Butter Bean, Lablab Bean, Horsebean.Ayurvedic: Nishpaav, Sem.Unani: Lab Laab, Semphali.Siddha/Tamil: Avarin.Action: Seeds—febrifuge, stomachic, antispasmodic, antifungal.
Key application: As expectorant. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)Lablab pods contain protein 4.5, carbohydrates 10.0, calcium 0.05%; vitamin C (7.33 to 10.26 mg/100g in cooked samples; 0.77-1.12 mg/100 g in uncooked samples) increases on cooking. Enzyme liberation of essential amino acids from protein is slower than from casein and wheat.Callus tissue of Dolichos lablab Linn. (Horsebean) showed presence of beta- sitosterol, stigmasterol, lanosterol and cholesterol. The isolated flavonoids show antifungal activity (the maximum amount of flavonoids was found in the flowers). The plant contains the alkaloid, trigonelline, which exhibits hypoglycaemic activity. The maximum alkaloid was found in the seeds (0.14 mg/g dry weight). In tissue cultures raised from seedlings, the maximum amount was present in the tissue at the age of 6 weeks (0.068 mg/g dry weight).
Health Encyclopedia