Pigeon Peas-a prolific and versatile food crop!! and like Moringa, will be vital in the near future!

These are delicious severed with chopped onion and bacon. A staple in parts of the South.
Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite childhood foods.

Yes! I wish more people would try them. So easy! I offer free seed to those who would plant them and share seed.

You are welcome. Sounds yummy! I was surprised at how good they are. Can a plant be useful and delicious? Yes!

Ignored far too long.

[link to www.tropicalforages.info]

GUANDU
HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS
Main Actions Other Actions Standard Dosage
reduces fever
stops bleeding
Leaves, flowers, seeds
heals wounds
reduces fever
Infusion: 1 cup twice daily
is astringent
reduces mucus

balances menstruation
relieves coughs

reduces inflammation
increases urination

reduces sickling
Guandu is the Brazilian name for this perennial woody shrub that grows about 4 m high. Its multi-colored flowers range from yellow, red, purple and orange making it a quite pretty blooming shrub. But it is prized for the food it provides. It produces an edible seed pod with 2 to 9 seeds inside which are shelled and widely eated as a food. It is called "pigeon peas" in English speaking tropical countries for its small pea-like seeds. It is believed to originate from tropical India and today it is widely distributed in most tropical countries throughout the world especially South America.

TRIBAL AND HERBAL MEDICINE USES

In Peru, guandu is called caja or puspo-poroto. There the leaves are prepared in a infusion for anemia, hepatitis, diabetes, urinary infections, and yellow fever. The flowers are prepared in an infusion for dysentery, and menstrual disorders; and the seeds are infused to use as a diuretic. In Brazilian herbal medicine, the leaves are infused for coughs, fevers and ulcers; the seeds are prepared in a tea for inflammation and blood disorders; and the flowers are prepared into a tea for upper respiratory infections and pain. In Argentina the leaves are used for genital and other skin irritations and the flowers are used for bronchitis, coughs, and pneumonia.

PLANT CHEMICALS

Chemical analysis reveals guandu contains: 2'-0'methylcajanone, 2'-hydroxygenistein, 5,7,2'-trihydroxyisoflavone, alpha-amyrin, beta-amryin, beta-sitosterol, cajaflavanone, cajaisoflavone, cajanin, cajanone, cajaquinone, concajanin, ferreirin, genistein, isogenistein-7-0-glucoside, lupeol, phenylalanine, stigmasterol

BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES AND CLINICAL RESEARCH

In several clinical studies scientists have reported that seed extracts of guandu inhibit red blood sickling and may be beneficial for people with sickle cell anemia. Laboratory studies with animals report that the seeds have some anti-nutritional qualities and reported to contain trypsin inhibitors and chymotrypsin inhibitors which reduce or inhibit pancreatic amylase and lipase.

[link to www.rain-tree.com]

Cajanus cajan: It's More than Just a Pulse Crop [link to www.winrock.org]

REVIEW OF CAJANUS CAJAN AS IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANT. Birjatinder Singh, Sarabjit Kaur

REVIEW OF CAJANUS CAJAN AS IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANT.

Birjatinder Singh, Sarabjit Kaur

International Journal of Natural Product Science 2012: Spl Issue 1:140.

Abstract(RBIP-140)

Cajanus cajan (Pigeonpea) belonging to a family leguminosae , is an important pulse or grain legume crop in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Belonging to the subtrib Cajaninae within the tribe Phasealeae, the genus Cajanus comprises 32 species of which Cajanus cajan is the only commercially cultivated species. About 90% of the world production of pigeonpea is grown in India. As a source of high value protein it plays an important role in the nutrition of mainly vegetarian or very poor populations of India and Eastern Africa, especially Kenya. It mainly contains flavonoids (quercetin, luteolin, apigenin, iosrhamnetin), isoflavonoids (cajanin, cajanol) and stilbene (longistylin A and C). Flavonoids has antibacterial,antifungal antiviral,anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects.The leaves are prepared as infusion for anaemia, hepatitis, diabetes, urinary infections, yellow fever, and genital and other skin irritations, especially in females, while floral decoctions are used for bronchitis, coughs, pneumonia, dysentery and menstrual disorders. . The plant is reported to be beneficial in treatment of various ailments. Thus we can arrive at conclusion that there exists good scope of further exploration of such plants.
[link to www.sciipub.com]

Sustainable restitution/recultivation of artisanal tantalum mining wasteland in Central Africa [link to www.uni-kassel.de]

Looks like lots of good info to digest in this thread...
ing to read more later. Thanks!

Thanks to our own GLP hero Luisport!

Umm, won't grow in Zone 6b, but great for warmer climates here. I still prefer black-eyed peas and pinto beans.
A good food crop here is comfrey -- should start a thread on comfrey....

It would be an annual in your zone if you started it inside. It grows very fast and has so much food in one small area. Improves the soil. Feeds the livestock.

I've heard of comfrey but have no idea what it is. Now my curiosity is going to make me look it up.

they attract lots of mealybugs but

yes, temp will be an issue for me too... but i will try it as an anual crop

Hi i just plant my first 12 beans! I just hope everything goes allright!!!

do you know how long they take to germinate?

Yeah! Supposedly 10-20 days but I threw some around my fence line and saw them sprout much sooner. 3 days.

[link to m.youtube.com]

A cheap and easy greenhouse made with cattle panels

do you know this? Thread: A fruit that cures all forms of arthritis!!! White Sapote - Casimiroa Edulis

No I didn't. Thank you. I don't want to miss something important. I'll go there now.

[link to backtoedenfilm.com]

If you are interested in gardening you will love this film. It explains gardening with wood chips. Sort of permaculture but not quite. The film is long but fascinating.

Over the past month, I have been throwing seeds all along the fences. Some I planted, most I just scattered on top of the ground. It has been rainy so I've had a good germination rate. There are seedlings everywhere! Next year I will have so many peas I will scatter them all over town. Gorrilla gardening style, out the car window.
Johnny Pigeon Pea.

you want it to be endemic...

Save the world!

Pigeon Pea Rice [link to www.foodnetwork.com]

pigeon pie recepies: [link to www.cooks.com]

Are Green Pigeon Peas Healthy? Pigeon peas, a popular vegetable in tropical countries, are healthy and versatile. Ripe pigeon peas are a common ingredient in dhal, an Indian split-pea soup. Immature pigeon pea seeds, also called green pigeon peas, are reputed as an old folk medicine remedy for liver and kidney ailments, according to Purdue University, but they offer real health benefits today. They are a nutrient-rich addition to rice or a variety of other foods and can supplement your diet with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.... [link to healthyeating.sfgate.com]

Please Pass the Pigeon Peas


I ate the exact same lunch every day of my senior year in highschool… a Jamaican gungo pea patty. I lived in the Cayman Islands then. Recently, I found out that my beloved gungo peas are also called pigeon peas. I’ve been growing them in my yard over the past year and have become extremely fond of this little tree.

I had no idea that the tiny little pea I planted in my garden was going to turn into a small tree. I knew it was a legume and would fix the nitrogen in my soil, but…a tree? It’s not what I expected, but I adore my pigeon pea tree and have been planning where I’m going to plant more of them in my yard.
I noticed that Epcot had quite a few of them growing in pots at their Flower & Garden Festival this year. I tried growing one in a large pot too. It looked healthy for a while and then went into a steady decline. I didn’t worry about it too much though because the one I planted in the ground was thriving. Pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan) grow in warm climates and will not tolerate frost. They can be grown as a perennial in warm areas and will live from 2 to 5 years. In my zone 9b, I have to grow them during the warm part of the year. This isn’t a problem in SW Florida. If I time it right, I can get plenty of frost-free growing time and get a prolific crop of pigeon peas… and I did this year.

My kids don’t like them cooked. They like to stand at the tree and eat them fresh out of the pod when they’re green. The goats do too. They break out of their pen just to go stand at the pigeon pea tree and eat as fast as they can before they get caught. I always break off a branch to give them. This might be why the chickens chose this tree to hang out under too.

My tree has pods all over it. Some of the pods have dried peas in them and some have green peas. The green peas can be eaten fresh off the tree. My kids and I find them to be delicious this way. They’re extremely nutritious when they’re green too. The dried peas need to be soaked and cooked or saved to plant again. My kids might not like them cooked, but my husband and I do. Jamaican rice and peas are delectable.
... [link to pickmeyard.wordpress.com]