Lablab purpureus
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fd8d84b942951158396 |
| Scientific name | Lablab purpureus |
| Authority | (L.) Sweet |
| First published in | Hort. Brit.: 481 (1826) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Lablab purpureus has a strong tradition as a daily beverage and gentle medicine in parts of tropical Asia and Africa, where leafy infusions are the most widely documented form of use. In the Pacific islands, consumption of tea made from the young leaves is documented among Fiji’s indigenous communities, where the drink is used to soothe colds and flu (H. W. Sims, 1972, Preliminary Flora of Viti). Among the Gikuyu of Kenya, leaf tea is prepared as a household remedy for fever and cough, a practice recorded by J. S. Mackenzie in Kenya Herbs, Shrubs and Trees (1988). In southern Africa, Sepedi-speaking communities in Limpopo make a warm infusion of the leaves to ease cold symptoms and minor digestive discomfort, a use reported by P. A. R. J. Joffe, Indigenous Herbs of the Northern Province (1993). Across these regions the preparation is a simple water infusion; no alcohol tinctures or macerations are recorded in the ethnobotanical sources consulted.
A practical and safe way to prepare the traditional leaf infusion is as follows: place one heaping tablespoon of fresh young leaves (about 3–5 g) in a small pot, add 250 mL of just-boiled water, cover, and steep for 10–15 minutes. Strain, and drink while warm. Alternatively, for a milder “daily tea,” use two teaspoons of dried leaves and steep for 8–10 minutes. Use once or twice daily, and do not exceed two cups a day. The seeds of lablab contain cyanogenic glycosides and lectins and must be thoroughly cooked before ingestion; pregnant individuals should avoid seed preparations and consult a qualified practitioner before using any lablab-based remedy. No commercial tinctures or macerations are supported by the published records cited here.
Well‑established constituents detected in lablab leaves and pods include flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol glycosides, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids like chlorogenic acid, together with saponins and tannins. These compounds exhibit antioxidant, mild astringent, and anti‑inflammatory properties in laboratory studies, offering plausible explanations for the traditional uses in soothing upper‑respiratory and mild gastrointestinal irritation. The presence of fiber and galactomannan polysaccharides in the seeds also supports their traditional role as a cooked food that moderates glycaemic response when properly processed.
Current research focuses on lablab’s nutritional value and agronomic versatility rather than medicinal formulations, and no standardized commercial products such as tinctures or concentrated extracts were found in the peer‑reviewed ethnobotanical literature. The leaf infusion remains in common domestic use across Kenya, South Africa’s Northern Province, and parts of Fiji, and the plant is increasingly cultivated as a protein‑rich legume, a source of animal feed, and a nitrogen‑fixing cover crop.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!**Common products:**
Dry mature seeds (commonly called hyacinth beans) are processed into flour or whole pulses after detoxification (boiling/soaking to remove cyanogenic glycosides). Immature pods and young seeds are consumed as a vegetable. Seeds yield edible oil via cold-pressing or solvent extraction.
**Industrial and craft applications:**
Processed seed cake (after oil extraction) is used as a protein-rich feed for livestock or aquaculture. Leaves are grazed or cut as fodder, and the plant serves as green manure for soil improvement.
**Food and beverages (non-medicinal):**
Mature seeds are ground to flour for flatbreads (e.g., *gundi* in India), thickeners, or fermentation substrates (e.g., *tempeh*-like products in Indonesia). Immature pods are sautéed or stir-fried, similar to green beans. Seed oil is used for frying or in margarine.
**Colorants and tanning:**
No documented industrial use for dyes or tannins.
**Wood and fiber:**
No established timber, fiber, or craft applications.
**Fragrance and cosmetics:**
No documented use in perfumery or cosmetics.
**Properties relevant to use:**
Seed flour contains high protein (20–25%) and starch (40–50%), suitable for food applications. Cyanogenic glycosides (e.g., linamarin) in mature seeds necessitate thorough processing to reduce toxicity. Seed oil exhibits typical legume fatty acid profiles (high linoleic/oleic acid content). The plant’s nitrogen-fixing ability enhances soil fertility.
**Standards and regulation:**
No specific standards beyond general food safety regulations (e.g., Codex Alimentarius for pulses) and animal feed guidelines in producing regions.
**Sustainability and sourcing:**
Drought tolerance and nitrogen fixation make it suitable for intercropping or as a cover crop in semi-arid systems. Its adaptability to poor soils supports sustainable agriculture in tropical/subtropical regions (e.g., East Africa, South Asia).
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Dolichos purpureus | L. | Sp. Pl. ed. 2: 1021 (1763) |
| Lablab purpurea | (L.) Sweet |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | hyacinth bean |
| English | hyacinthbean |
| English | australian pea |
| English | bonavist bean |
| English | bonavist pea |
| English | dolichos bean |
| English | egyptian kidney bean |
| English | seim bean |
| English | tonga bean |
| English | bataw |
| English | butter bean |
| English | papaya bean |
| English | poor man bean |
| Spanish | vigna aristata |
| Spanish | chaucha japonesa |
| Spanish | dolico gigante |
| Spanish | dólico gigante |
| Spanish | frijol de egipto |
| Spanish | fríjol de egipto |
| Spanish | judia de egipto |
| Spanish | judía de egipto |
| Spanish | poroto de egipto |
| Spanish | zarandaja |
| Spanish | dolichos lablab |
| Arabic | لبلب |
| Arabic | لبلاب |
| Bengali | শিম |
| Catalan | mongeta egípcia |
| Danish | hjelmbønne |
| Danish | hyacintbønne |
| German | faselbohne |
| German | Ägyptische bohne |
| German | hyazinthbohne |
| German | helmbohne |
| Persian | لبلب |
| Finnish | hyasinttipapu |
| French | antaque |
| French | dolique d'Égypte |
| French | pois antaque |
| Gujarati | વાલ |
| Hebrew | שעועית יקינתון |
| Indonesian | kacang kara |
| Indonesian | komak |
| Indonesian | kara |
| Italian | dolico egiziano |
| Japanese | シカクマメ |
| Japanese | 藤豆 |
| Japanese | フジマメ |
| Kazakh | Сүмбіл бұршақ |
| Kannada | ಅವರೆ |
| Korean | 까치콩 |
| Korean | 제비콩 |
| Korean | 편두 |
| la | dolichos lablab |
| Malagasy | antaka |
| Malayalam | hyacinth bean |
| Malayalam | അമര |
| Marathi | वाल |
| Malay | kara-kara |
| Norwegian Bokmål | hjelmbønne |
| Nepali | टाटे सिमी |
| Oriya | ଶିମ୍ବ |
| Polish | dolichos lablab |
| Polish | chropawiec pospolity |
| Polish | fasolnik egipski |
| Polish | wspięga pospolita |
| Russian | dolichos lablab |
| Russian | vigna aristata |
| Russian | dolichos benghalensis |
| Russian | ггипетские бобы |
| Russian | гиацинтовые бобы |
| Russian | долихос лаблаб |
| Russian | долихос обыкновенный |
| Russian | лобия |
| Russian | Долихос "Вьющаяся сирень" |
| sd | سيم |
| Sango | gbundo |
| Swedish | hjälmböna |
| Swedish | hjälmbönor |
| Swedish | hjälmbönssläktet |
| Swahili | mfiwi mafuta |
| syl | ꠃꠞꠤ |
| Tamil | அவரை |
| Thai | ถั่วแปบ |
| trv | gicang |
| trv | gisang |
| trv | wicang |
| Vietnamese | Đậu ván |
| Chinese | 扁豆 |
| Chinese | 扁豆一种 |
| Chinese | 扁豆叶 |
| Chinese | 扁豆根 |
| Chinese | 扁豆花 |
| Chinese | 扁豆藤 |
| Chinese | 扁豆衣 |
| Chinese | 白扁豆 |
| Chinese | 藊豆 |
| Chinese | 鵲豆 |
| Chinese | 火镰扁豆 |
| Chinese | 膨皮豆 |
| Chinese | 一种维管植物 |
Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lablab purpureus subsp. bengalensis | (Jacq.) Verdc. | Kew Bull.24: 411 (1970) |
| Lablab purpureus subsp. purpureus | (L.) Sweet | Unknown |
| Lablab purpureus subsp. uncinatus | Verdc. | Kew Bull.24: 410 (1970) |
Varieties (abbr. var.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lablab purpureus var. rhomboideus | (Schinz) Verdc. | Kew Bull.24: 411 (1970) |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!| Sow seeds at 20°C, expecting germination within 3 months without further temperature treatment. |
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
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Macaronesia
- Canary Islands
- Cape Verde
- Madeira
-
Middle Atlantic Ocean
- Ascension
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Somalia
- Sudan
-
Northern Africa
- Tunisia
-
South Tropical Africa
- Angola
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
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Southern Africa
- Botswana
- Cape Provinces
- Free State
- Kwazulu-Natal
- Namibia
- Northern Provinces
- Swaziland
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West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
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West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Gabon
- Gulf Of Guinea Islands
- Rwanda
- Zaïre
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Western Indian Ocean
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Réunion
-
East Tropical Africa
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
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Arabian Peninsula
- Yemen
-
Caucasus
- North Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
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China
- China North-central
- China South-central
- China Southeast
- Hainan
-
Eastern Asia
- Korea
-
Western Asia
- Iraq
- Lebanon-Syria
-
Arabian Peninsula
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
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Indian Subcontinent
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- East Himalaya
- India
- Laccadive Islands
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- West Himalaya
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Indo-China
- Andaman Islands
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Nicobar Nicobar
- Thailand
- Vietnam
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Malesia
- Borneo
- Christmas Island
- Jawa
- Lesser Sunda Islands
- Malaya
- Philippines
- Sumatera
-
Papuasia
- New Guinea
-
Indian Subcontinent
-
Australasia click to expand
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Australia
- New South Wales
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- Western Australia
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Australia
-
Europe click to expand
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Eastern Europe
- Ukraine
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Eastern Europe
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Northern America click to expand
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Mexico
- Mexico Southwest
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Northeastern U.S.A.
- New York
-
Mexico
-
Pacific click to expand
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North-central Pacific
- Hawaii
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Northwestern Pacific
- Caroline Islands
- Marianas
- Marshall Islands
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South-central Pacific
- Cook Islands
- Easter Island
- Marquesas
- Pitcairn Islands
- Tuamotu
- Tubuai Islands
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Southwestern Pacific
- Fiji
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- Niue
- Tonga
- Vanuatu
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North-central Pacific
-
Southern America click to expand
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Brazil
- Brazil Northeast
- Brazil South
- Brazil Southeast
- Brazil West-central
-
Caribbean
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Leeward Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Trinidad-Tobago
- Windward Islands
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Central America
- Guatemala
-
Southern South America
- Uruguay
-
Western South America
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Galápagos
- Peru
-
Brazil
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000181603 |
| UNII | G9WW6WBS1N |
| Florida Plant Atlas | 131 |
| Flora of Alabama | 3341 |
| Canadensys | 5742 |
| USDA Plants | LAPU6 |
| Tropicos | 13021444 |
| INPN | 447197 |
| Flora of Italy | 8511 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:501411-1 |
| The Plant List | ild-2773 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 248820 |
| PFAF | Lablab purpureus |
| Open Tree Of Life | 928430 |
| Observations.org | 397443 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 35936 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0200002426 |
| Nature Serve | 2.138047 |
| IPNI | 501411-1 |
| iNaturalist | 146816 |
| GBIF | 2952236 |
| Freebase | /m/052lbg |
| EPPO | DOLLA |
| EOL | 644742 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 9353 |
| USDA GRIN | 104887 |
| Wikipedia | Lablab |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_051403735.1 | ASM5140373v1 | Complete Genome | Institute of Virology and Biotechnology | 2025-07-18 | 69 | 439.42 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Bile acids, alcohols and derivatives / Hydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives / Tetrahydroxy bile acids, alcohols and derivatives | |||||
| Castasterone | 133534 | Click to see CC(C)C(C)C(C(C(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC(=O)C4C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)C)O)O | 464.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB1961.47.1409 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Steroid lactones / Brassinolides and derivatives | |||||
| (1S,2R,4R,5S,7S,11R,12R,15S,16S)-15-[(2S,3R,4R,5S)-3,4-dihydroxy-5,6-dimethylheptan-2-yl]-4,5-dihydroxy-2,16-dimethyl-9-oxatetracyclo[9.7.0.02,7.012,16]octadecan-8-one | 154496275 | Click to see | 480.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB1961.47.1409 |
| Brassinolide | 115196 | Click to see CC(C)C(C)C(C(C(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2COC(=O)C4C3(CC(C(C4)O)O)C)C)O)O | 480.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB1961.47.1409 |
| > Organic acids and derivatives / Carboxylic acids and derivatives / Tetracarboxylic acids and derivatives | |||||
| [(1S,4R,5R,9S,10S,12R,15S)-4,9,15-triacetyloxy-7,7,10,14-tetramethyl-11-oxo-16-oxapentacyclo[10.3.1.01,12.03,9.06,8]hexadec-2-en-5-yl] benzoate | 162817241 | Click to see CC1CC23C(=O)C(C4(C5C(C5(C)C)C(C(C4=CC2(C1OC(=O)C)O3)OC(=O)C)OC(=O)C6=CC=CC=C6)OC(=O)C)C | 580.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB1961.47.1409 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / 2-arylbenzofuran flavonoids | |||||
| Vignafuran | 441958 | Click to see | 270.28 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-3-O-glycosides | |||||
| pelargonidin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside | 443649 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB.60.589 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Isoflav-2-enes / Isoflavones | |||||
| Genistein | 5280961 | Click to see | 270.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Isoflavans / Isoflavanones | |||||
| (3S)-3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrochromen-4-one | 124300749 | Click to see C1C(C(=O)C2=C(C=C(C=C2O1)O)O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3)O)O | 288.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / Isoflavans / Isoflavanones / 8-prenylated isoflavanones | |||||
| (3R)-3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-8-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-2,3-dihydrochromen-4-one | 121492660 | Click to see | 356.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
| Kievitone | 119269 | Click to see CC(=CCC1=C2C(=C(C=C1O)O)C(=O)C(CO2)C3=C(C=C(C=C3)O)O)C | 356.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Isoflavonoids / O-methylated isoflavonoids / 3-O-methylated isoflavonoids | |||||
| (3S)-3-(4-hydroxy-2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-7-ol | 92286578 | Click to see | 302.32 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1515/ZNC-1977-11-1225 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |