Legumes and Allergies

A good friend of mid brought to my attention one of the not so great effects of legumes. Approximately one percent of the world populations suffer from allergies to legumes. In some cases the reactions can be severe.

Excerpt from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

“Food allergic reactions occur when the body's immune system responds abnormally to a food protein or proteins. The body overreacts, flooding the system with histamines and other chemicals to fight off what is perceived as a threat or invader.”

Legume Crops

Common Name	Latin Name
Adzuki bean	Vigna angularis
Barrel medic or Medicago	Medicago truncatula
Bitter vetch	Vicia ervilia
Chickling vetch	Lathyrus cicera
Chickpea	Cicer arietinum
Common bean	Phaseolus vulgaris
Common vetch	Vicia sativa
Cowpea	Vigna unguiculata
Faba bean	Vicia faba
Grass pea	Lathyrus sativus
Groundnut	Arachis hypogaea
Hairy vetch	Vicia villosa
Hungarian vetch	Vicia pannonica
Hyacinth bean	Lablab purpureus
Lentil	Lens culinaris
Lima bean	Phaseolus lunatus
Lotus japonicus
Mung bean	Vigna radiata
Narbon bean	Vicia narbonensis
Narrow-leafed lupin	Lupinus angustifolius
Pea	Pisum sativum
Pigeon pea	Cajanus cajan
Runner bean	Phaseolus coccineus
Soyabean	Glycine max
Tarwi	Lupinus mutabilis
White lupin	Lupinus albus
Yellow lupin	Lupinus luteus

You will be able to click on the legume name and it will take you to web page dedicated to such crop. You can find all kinds of information on the history, agronomy and uses of the legume.