Description

🥒 Sword beans (Canavalia gladiata), also known as scimitar beans, are large, tropical legumes prized for their impressive size, nutritional value, and traditional medicinal uses. Though not widely farmed commercially, they’re a fascinating crop for home gardens and small farms.

🌿 Botanical Profile

• Family: Fabaceae (legume family)
• Growth habit: Vigorous climbing vine, up to 10 meters long
• Pod size: 20–60 cm long, flat and sword-shaped
• Seeds: Large, oblong, reddish-brown to white or black
• Climate: Thrives in warm, humid regions; frost-sensitive

🌱 Cultivation Tips

• Sowing time: Spring or monsoon (Kerala: June–July or Feb–March)
• Spacing: 45–60 cm between plants; 75–90 cm between rows
• Soil: Well-drained loam, pH 5.0–6.8
• Support: Needs trellis or stakes for climbing
• Harvest: Tender pods at ~75 days; mature seeds at ~6 months2

🧪 Nutritional Highlights (per 100g dry seeds)

💚 Health & Medicinal Uses

• Used in Ayurveda and folk medicine for:
  • Digestive issues, sinusitis, hemorrhoids, obesity, and coughs
• Contains antioxidants, urease, and canavanine (a compound with antimicrobial and anti-cancer potential)
• Caution: Raw seeds contain anti-nutritional factors like canavanine and protease inhibitors. Always boil thoroughly and discard water before consumption3

🍽️ Culinary Uses

• Tender pods: Stir-fried, curried, or pickled (popular in Japan and India)
• Seeds: Used in soups, stews, or fermented dishes after proper processing
• Leaves & flowers: Occasionally used as flavoring or garnish