Common Name: |
Natto |
Other Names: |
Diadzein, Soja, Soy, Soybean, Soy Milk, Tofu |
Botanical Name: |
Glycine max, Glycine soja |
Genus: |
Glycine |
Family: |
Fabaceae |
Location: |
E Asia |
Cultivation: |
Moist, rich, well-drained soil in sun. |
Propagation: |
By seed sown in spring. |
Harvest: |
Seeds are harvested when unripe and used fresh, or ripe and soaked or cooked before using whole, ground, fermented, or processed further. |
Height: |
25cm-2m (10in-6ft) |
Width: |
15cm-1m (6in-3ft) |
Hardiness: |
Half hardy |
Parts Used: |
Seeds (beans) (dou chi). |
Properties: |
A sweet, slightly bitter, cooling herb that in Chinese medicine is regarded as carminative, sedative, anti-spasmodic, diaphoretic, and anti-pyretic. It has hormonal effects and benefits the liver and circulation. |
Medicinal Uses: |
Internally in Chinese medicine for fever, headache, insomnia, restlessness, and chest discomfort associated with colds, and measles. Internally in the form of soy lecithin, to help lower serum cholesterol levels, and in the form of soy phospholipid enriched with 73-79 percent (3-sn phosphatidyl)-choline for severe hypercholesterolemia, chronic liver disease, and chronic hepatitis. To treat elevated cholesterol, nervous conditions, menopausal hot flashes and night sweats, joint pain, and gallbladder ailments. |
Typical Dose: |
A typical dose of soybean is up to 50 gm per day of soy protein. |
Possible Side Effects: |
Soybean's side effects include stomach pain, diarrhea, and decreased estrogen levels. |
Drug Interactions: |
Taking soybean with these drugs may reduce or prevent drug absorption: |
Ferric Gluconate, (Ferrlecit) |
Ferrous Fumarate, (Femiron, Feostat) |
Ferrous Gluconate, (Fergon, Novo-Ferrogluc) |
Ferrous Sulfate, (Feratab, Fer-Iron) |
Ferrous Sulfate and Ascorbic Acid, (Fero-Grad 500, Vitelle Irospan) |
Iron-Dextran Complex, (Dexferrum, INFeD) |
Polysaccharide-Iron Complex, (Hytinic, Niferex) |
Taking soybean with these drugs may reduce the absorption of the drug: |
Levothyroxine, (Levothroid, Synthroid) |
Liothyronine, (Cytomel, Triostat) |
Liotrix, (Thyrolar) |
Taking soybean with these drugs may reduce the effectiveness of the drug: |
Tamoxifen, (Nolvadex, Tamofen) |
Warfarin, (Coumadin, Jantoven) |
|
Lab Test Alterations: |
- May decrease parathyroid hormone levels when taken in high amounts by postmenopausal women.
- May increase thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, particularly in those with low iodine levels.
|
Disease Effects: |
- People with allergic rhinitis and asthma have a greater than average risk of suffering from soy hull allergy.
- There is some evidence that soy may worsen breast cancer.
- May increase the risk of kidney stones and bladder cancer.
|
Food Interactions: |
Decreased absorption of nonheme (plant based) iron in foods when soy is taken in the form of soy protein isolate. |
Culinary Uses: |
Unripe beans are cooked and eaten like peas. Dried beans are cooked in soups, stews and casserols, roastes as a coffee substitute, liquified with water to make soy milk, tofu (bean curd), sprouted for salads, or ground and fermented to make soy sauce, miso, and other sauces and pastes. |
Economic Uses: |
Beans yield protein, processed as textured vegetable protein (TVP); flour; oil for salads and cooking; and lecithin, used as a food supplement, emulsifier, and substitute for eggs and animal fats in the food industry. Oil is further processed into margarine, and used in the manufacture of soap, paints, printing inks, and linoleum. Proteins are used in the manufacture of synthetic fibers, fire-fighting foam, and adhesives. Lecithin is used as a wetting and stabilizing agent in various industrial processes. Residue is an important component of livestock feed. |
Bibliography: |
Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni BrownCopyright © 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited. pp. 226 The Essential Herb-Drug-Vitamin Interaction Guide by Geo. T. Grossberg,MD and Barry Fox,PhD Copyright©2007 Barry Fox,PhD. Pp.426-427 |