Cowpea: An important legume

The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a widely grown legume food crop of the tropics. It is an important crop of India and it is known by many Vernacular names like lobia (Hindi), barbatati (bangals), sonta (Garhwali), chavati (Marathi), alasande (Canada) and mampayer (Malayalam). In Rajasthan it is widely known as crowder pea, black eye bean, black eye pea, and southern pea. The seed vary in size (2 to 12mm), shape (globular to kidney shaped), texture (smooth or wrinkled) and colour (white, green, buff, red, brown and black) and are variably speckled, mustard blotched or eyed

Table 1 Nutritive value of cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata L.)

Nutrients	Amount  (100 g)
Moisture (%)	13.40
Protein (g)	24.10
Fat (g)	1.00
Carbohydrate (g)	323.00
Minerals (g)	3.20
Fibre (g)	3.80
Carotene (mg)	12.00
Thiamine (mg)	0.51
Phosphorus (mg)	77.00
Iron (mg)	8.60
Folic acid (mg)	8.60
Riboflavin (mg)	0.20
Niacin (mg)	0.20
Calcium (mg)	60.00

Health benefits of Cowpea

• Cowpea is famous traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has functions of nourishing spleen, kidney, curing vomiting and dysentery.
• It tones the spleen, stomach and pancreas and relieves damp conditions like leucorrhea.
• The soluble fiber found in these beans has a low glycemic index and provide low risk for diabetes.
• The cooking liquor of the seed with spices is considered to be a potential remedy for the common cold.
• The leaves and seeds are applied as a poultice to treat swellings and infections, leaves are chewed to treat tooth ailments, powdered carbonized seeds are applied on insect stings, the root is used as an antidote for snakebites and to treat epilepsy, chest pain, constipation and dysmenorrheal and unspecified part of plant are used as a sedative in tachycardia and against various pains.
• An infusion of seed can be taken orally to treat amenorrhea while powdered roots eaten with porridge are believed to treat painful menstruation, epilepsy and chest pain. 

Flax seeds

Flax seeds or Alsi typically has a small seed 3.0-6.0 mm in length and 2.0-3.5 mm in diameter. These contain a good amount of α-linolenic Acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, protein, dietary fiber, lignan, specifically secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG). ALA is beneficial for infant brain development, reducing blood lipids and cardiovascular diseases. Its dietary fiber exhibits positive effect to reduce constipation, to keep better bowel movement and as hypocholestermic agent. SDG have antioxidant activity and free oxygen radical scavenging activity. Consequently, it may have anticancer property. At some extent, SDG helps in bone development.

       Table 1. Nutritional value per 100g of flax seeds

Nutrients	Amount
Energy (kcal)	534.00
Carbohydrates (g)	28.88
Sugars (g)	1.55
Dietary fiber (g)	27.30
Fat (g)	42.16
Saturated fat (g)	3.66
Monounsaturated fat (g)	7.52
Polyunsaturated fat (g)	28.73
Protein (g)	18.29
Thiamine (mg)	1.64
Riboflavin (mg)	0.16
Niacin (mg)	3.08
Pantothenic acid (mg)	0.98
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.47
Folate (µg)	0.00
Vitamin C (mg)	0.60
Calcium (mg)	255.00
Iron (mg)	5.73
Magnesium (mg)	392.00
Phosphorus (mg)	642.00
Potassium (mg)	813.00
Zinc (mg)	4.34

Health benefits of flax seeds

• It is most commonly used as a laxative in treatment of constipation.
• It is also used during menopause for hot flashes and breast pain.
• Flaxseed oil is used for various conditions including arthritis.
• Both flaxseed and flaxseed oil have been used for reducing the cholesterol levels and in the prevention of cancer. It is also said that the seeds can act as a helpful prevention against angina pectoris and arteriosclerosis.
• The seeds are very useful in elimination of secretions in the respiratory tract. They are helpful in cases of bronchitis and cold.
• Daily use of flax oil protects gastric and urinary membrane.
• Taken externally, the oil obtained from the seeds is recognized due to its demulcent and emollient properties. It protects and softens the irritated skin.