Lupine is a beautiful looking plant on roadsides or roadsides, but also in home gardens. In addition to the great role it plays in agriculture, it also has an increasing importance for health.
Occurrence and cultivation of lupine
The name is derived from the Latin “lupus” (wolf), probably because of the hairy, wolf-gray pods of the seeds. Lupines, occasionally called wolf beans or cowpeas, belong to the legume family and within it to the papilionaceous subfamily. The name is derived from the Latin “lupus” (wolf), probably because of the hairy, wolf-gray pods of the seeds. Lupine is originally native primarily to North America and the Mediterranean region, depending on which species it is. The best known lupine species are the blue, white and yellow lupine. There is also the red as a cultivated form. Lupines prefer light and loamy soils with plenty of sun. They are perennial and can grow about 1.50 meters high. The leaves are finger-shaped. From June to August, depending on the color of the lupine, butterfly-shaped flowers appear on clusters 20 to 60 centimeters long. Seeds form from the flowers in pods four to six centimeters long at the beginning of autumn. The plant has deep roots that can reach one to two meters deep into the soil. Because it can form nitrogen in the root nodules, it is also popular for soil amendment and fertilization.
Effect and application
The seeds of wild lupins and garden lupins contain toxic bitter compounds, including lupinin and spartenin. The lupinin can cause fatal respiratory paralysis and the spartenin can cause circulatory collapse. However, lupins have always been important in history for the nutrition of humans and animals and partly in medicine. The Egyptians already cultivated the plant and gave the seeds of the lupine to the pharaohs as burial gifts. In ancient Greece, doctors used easy digestibility of the seeds for treatment. In times of war and hardship, lupine seeds served as an important source of protein. In earlier times, and even today, lupine’s ability to bind nitrogen in the soil has been valued as a soil fertilizer. In herbal medicine, lupins do not play such a large role because they have a fluctuating active ingredient content, but all the more so in nutrition. However, the bitter alkaloids are a danger to humans and animals. To make the seeds fit for food, they used to be watered to filter out the toxins. In the 1920s, the cultivation of low-toxin lupins was started to alleviate this problem, as the protein of blue lupin in particular has a beneficial effect on lowering high cholesterol and blood lipid levels. Scientific tests have yet to show how extensive this effect is. Today, alkaloid-free varieties are already available, thus eliminating the need to extract the bitter substances. Unlike other legumes, lupins are not toxic even when raw. Due to their low purine content, they are also suitable as a diet for rheumatic diseases. Because they are gluten– and lactose-free, they are also tolerated by gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance. In addition, they have a low glycemic index, do not increase blood sugar levels and are therefore suitable for diabetics. In nutrition, lupins are already used in many ways: for dairy products, tofu, vegan burgers, sausages and other plant-based foods, as flour in baked goods. Because of their tastelessness, they can be used for all flavors from sweet to spicy. From an ecological point of view, lupins are also a good alternative to soy, which has fallen into disrepute due to increasing genetic engineering and rainforest deforestation. Lupines grow even in poor, sandy soils.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
It has been known for some time through research that the protein-rich seeds of the lupine are a real alternative to soy. Particularly noteworthy is their high protein content of nearly 40 percent protein, which can easily compete with soybeans. It contains all essential amino acids, as well as vitamin A, vitamin B1 and important minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. However, no evidence of vitamin B12 has been found so far. Similar to soy, lupins also contain phytoestrogens, but in much lower concentrations.Nevertheless, these are being researched because, according to scientific studies, phytoestrogens play an important role in the prevention of breast cancer, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Also beneficial to health, accounting for 15 percent of the seed, are the dietary fibers in lupin. They ensure good digestion in the intestines and thus help prevent colon cancer. Studies also show a reduction in cholesterol levels. In addition to the dietary fiber, the plant’s high protein content also contributes to the cholesterol-lowering effect, according to research conducted by the University of Halle. Lupine seeds contain less fat than soybeans (four to seven percent) and are rich in mono- and poly-saturated fatty acids. Their low glycemic index means they can also be used by diabetics. However, the allergy risk is comparable to that of soy. Peanut allergy sufferers react particularly and frequently to lupine components. In France, an increase in intolerances has been observed since lupin flour may be added to other cereal flours in unlimited quantities. Because of the allergy risk, products containing lupins have been subject to mandatory labeling in the EU since 2007.
