Scientific names
Dolichos lablab Linn.
Dolichos purpureus L.
Glycine lucida Blanco
Lablab cultratus DC.
Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet
Lablab vulgaris Savi
Common names
Baglau (C. Bis.)
Batau (Bik., Bis.)
Bataw (Tag., Bik., P. Bis.)
Bulay (C.Bis.)
Itab (If., Bon,)
Parda (ilk.)
Parda-atap (ilk.)
Sibachi, sibatsi(Tag.)
Banner bean (Engl.)
Hyacinth bean (Engl.)
Lablab bean (Engl.)
Poor man’s bean (Engl.)
Pien-tou (Chin.)
Other vernacular names
AMBARIC: Amora-Guaya.
ARABIC: Lablâb, Lablab, Lubiah.
ASSAMESE: Urahi, Urchi, Uri, Urshi.
BENGALI: Rajashimbi.
BURMESE: Pe-Gyi
CHINESE: Bian dou, Huo lian bian dou, Peng pi dou, Teng dou, Yan li dou, Que dou
DANISH: Hjelmbønne, Hjelmboenne.
DUTCH: Komak.
FINNISH: Hyasinttipapu.
FRENCH: Dolique D´egypte, Pois Nourrice.
GERMAN: ågyptische Fasel, Faselbohne, Gemeine Lablab, Helmbohne.
HINDI: Sem.
ITALIAN: Dolico Egiziano, Fagiolo D´egitto, Fagiolo Del Cairo, Fagiolo Egiziano.
JAPANESE: Fiji Mame, Fuji Mame, Ingen.
MALAY: Kacang Kara, Kara Kara, Kekara, Kerara (Java), Komak (Indonesia).
NEPALESE: Raaj Simii, Simii.
PORTUGUESE: Dólico Do Egipto, Feijão Cutelinho.
RUSSIAN: Lobija.
SINHALESE: Ho-Dhambala, Hodhambala, Kiri-Dambala, Kos-Ata-Dambala, Ratu-Peti-Dambala.
SPANISH: Carmelita, Frijol Caballero.
TAMIL: Avarai, Minni, Motchai, Motchai (Mochai), Tatta-Payaru.
TELUGU: Adavichikkudu, Tellachikkudu.
THAI: Thua Nang, Thua Paep.
TURKISH: Lablab.
VIETNAMESE: Dâu van.
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Botany
Bataw is a smooth, twining, climbing or trailing vine, 4 to 6 meters long, often with smooth, usually purplish stems. Leaves are long stalked, 3-foliate with inequilateral leaflets. Leaflets are entire, ovate, and 7 to 15 centimeters long. Flowers are few to many, white to pink-purple in color, about 2 centimeters long, on erect, long peduncled racemes 15 to 25 centimeters long. Pods are oblong, flattened, purple-margined, flat, and elongated with a prominent beak, about 7 to 12 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide, containing 3 to 5 seeds.
Distribution
– Commonly cultivated throughout the settled areas in the Philippines.
– In some regions, naturalized.
– Now pantropic in cultivation. Constituents
– Young pods are fairly good source of calcium and iron.
– Seeds yield protein, 23%; fat, 1.8%: ash, 3.5%; hydrocyanic acid, emulsin, allantoinase, and vitamin C1.
Properties
– Considered tonic, febrifuge, stomachic, antispasmodic.
– Boiled ripe seeds considered carminative.
– Seeds considered aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, astringent, febrifuge and stomachic.
– Flowers considered emmenagogue.
Propagation
Propagation by seeds. Cultivated for market produce. Pods are harvested about 4 months after planting.
Parts used
Leaves, bean, roots.
Uses
Edibility / Nutritional
– Tender pods, seeds and young leaves used as vegetable.
– Young leaves and pods are good sources of calcium, iron, vitamin C, and other minerals.
Folkloric
– Infusion of leaves used for gonorrhea.
– Poultice of leaves for snake bites.
– Leaves used for menorrhagia and leucorrhea.
– Juice of the leaves mixed with lime, applied to tumors and abscesses.
– Salted juice from the pods used for ear inflammation and sore throat.
– Used as stomachic and antiseptic; given for abdominal pains, diarrhea, and vomiting.
– The Malays make of poultice of the leaves mixed with rice-flowers and tumeric used for eczema.
– In Indo-China, Infusion of leaves for colic; flowers used as emmenagogue.
– Flowers prescribed for menorrhagia and leucorrhea.
– Seeds are considered aphrodisiac; also used to stop nose bleeds.
– In China, boiled ripe seeds used as tonic and carminative.
– Seeds used as febrifuge, stomachic, and antispasmodic.
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Studies
• Stem Cell Preservation Factor: Stem cell preservation factor FRIL (Flt3 receptor-interacting lectin), a plant lectin extracted from Dolichos lablab was found to preserve hematopoietic stems cells in vitro for a month.(1)
• Hypocholesterolemic: Diet supplemented with D. lablab seeds showed a hypocholesterolemic effect. (2)
• Cholecystokinin Secretion: A peptide derived from dolicholin, a phaseolin-like protein from D lablab potently stimulated cholecystokinin secretion from enteroendocrine STC-1 cells and suppressed food intake. (3)
• Antimicrobial / Antifungal: n-Hexane and chloroform extracts of Dolichos lablab exhibited significant antimicrobial and antifungal activity against B subtilis, S aureus, P aeruginosa, E coli and C albicans. (4)
• Antidiabetic / Seeds: Study evaluated the antidiabetic activity of a methanolic extract of D. lablab seeds in STZ-Nicotimamide induced diabetic model. Results showed dose-dependent reduction of blood glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. (7)
• Anti-Inflammatory / Antioxidant / Cytotoxicity: Study evaluated the in vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties of methanol extracts of two Bangladesh bean pods, Lablab purpureus L. sweet ‘white’ and ‘purple’. Results showed L. purpureus sweet ‘white’ and L. purpureus sweet ‘purple’ have significant anti-inflammatory activity as well as a potential source of natural antioxidants. L. purpureus sweet ‘white’ had concentration dependent potential cytotoxicity. (8)
