Soy

A genus of nine species of leugminous annuals, found from Asia to Australia. The most important species in cultivation is Glycine max, the soybean, which has been grown for at least 3000 years and is the main legume crop in China, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Large quantities are also produced in the USA. It does not exist in the wild and is thought to have appeared as a hybrid between two Glycine species in China. The first soybeans reached Europe in the 18th century, and the USA in the 19th century. Soybeans contain over 35 percent protein, 20 percent fixed oil, 22 amino acids, lecithin (which benefits nervous and circulatory systems), linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is essential for hormone production), and coumestrol and isoflavones that closely resemble human estrogen. They are immensely useful, yielding a wide range of food stuffs and industrial materials. Though seldom recognized as an herb, the soybean has a number of therapeutic applications, in addition to its high nutritional value. Fermented, salted black soybeans have been used medicinally in China since earliest times. Glycine is from the Greek glykys, sweet, referring to the sweet-tasting roots and leaves of some species. The Australian Glycine tabacina (vanilla glycine) has licorice-flavored roots.

Soy has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is a mainstay of the Asian diet. Soy contains isoflavones and other health-promoting substances that have long been used to treat fever, headache, lack of appetite, various kinds of liver disease, and "female complaints". The Food and Drug Administration allows food manufacturers to label their soy products as "heart healthy", and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has put its stamp of approval on soy as an effective method of combating hot flashes.

Erect, bushy annual, clad in red-gray hairs, with trifoliate leaves, 4-10cm (1½-4in) long. Small white or mauve pea flowers appear in clusters of 3-15 in the axils in summer, followed by yellow-brown to gray, brown, or almost black pods, 3-7cm (1¼-3in) long, containing 1-5 yellow, green, brown, black, or mottled seeds, according to cultivar.


Common Name:
Soy
Other Names:
Diadzein, Natto, Soja, 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