Lupin or lupini beans are the yellow legume seeds of Lupinus genus. They are traditionally eaten pickled, primarily in the Mediterranean basin and Latin America. The bitter variety of the beans are high in alkaloids and are extremely bitter unless soaked in water overnight. 

The first lupin domestication has been reported since the Dynasty of Egyptian Pharaohs, as the legumes have been sighted inside various tombs. Lupini were also popular with the Romans, who spread their cultivation throughout the Roman Empire. Today, lupini are most commonly found in Meditteranean countries and their former colonies, especially in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Brazil, as well as across the Middle East. The Andean American variety of the bean was domesticated by pre-Incan inhabitants of present-day Peru. 

Lupin beans contain a good thiamine, folic acid and arginine content and provide generous amounts of essential minerals such as magnesium, manganese, potassium and zinc. Regular consumption of lupins can aid in digestion, improve intestinal mobility, boost immunity and promote heart health. 

Medicinal Applications:

•       Lupin beans are an extraordinary source of dietary fiber. Fiber naturally favors digestion, and also prevents the absorption of fat from food at the intestinal level, indirectly contributing to lowering blood pressure.

•       Lupin beans contain an essential amino acid called arginine. Arginine is highly beneficial for the inner walls of our blood vessels, contributing to endothelial function. Endothelial dysfunction is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, leading to atheosclerosis, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and other serious diseases.

•       Lupin beans can normalize digestion and prevent symptoms like painful abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, bloating, gastroesophageal reflux and constipation.

•       They are a great source of zinc, a potentially immunity boosting mineral that reduces the gravity of and stimulates recovery following various infections.

•       Lupin seeds are rich in magnesium, a mineral that ensures the absorption of calcium in bones and thus conttibutes to maintaining bone mineral density.

•       The magnesium present in lupins also helps maintain healthy muscles including the myocard, which is the heart's muscle. This is achieved by regulating the activity of nerve cells which control movement, heartbeat, mental processes etc. in muscles.

•       Lupins consist of 40% of protein, making them ideal for vegeterian or vegan people.

•       Rich in B bitamins, notably vitamins B1 and B9, lupins help support carbonhydrate synthesis, a process resulting in energy for maintaining essential body functions like breathing. Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid or folate is vital during pregnancy for the prevention of spinal cord defects in newborns.

•       The manganese in lupins can promote sufficient prevention of free radical damage that may lead to cell mutations and cancer formations. 

Safety Profile:

Lupins contain powerful poisonous alkaloids that must be removed at all costs before consumption. It the beans are eaten raw, or withouth the alkaloids having been removed by soaking lupin poisoning can ensue. Symptoms of lupin bean poisoning include dilated unresponsive pupils, confusion, slowed thought and disorientation, flushed face, fever, high heart rate and blood pressure, tremors, difficulty with speech, in-coordination, dizziness, burning dry mouth, stomahc pain and anxiety.