Have you noticed your skin breaking out, a dry mouth, or constipation? Drinking a bowl of mung bean soup is the simplest and most effective way to regulate these issues. According to Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica from the Ming Dynasty, the functions of mung beans go far beyond these treatments.
Although they are rarely used directly as medicine, their therapeutic effects are undeniable. Every part of the mung bean is valuable: not only the beans themselves, but also the skins and sprouts, all of which have dietary and medicinal uses. They are rich in protein, dietary fiber, and polyphenolic phytochemicals, offering health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, reducing blood lipids, decreasing blood sugar, protecting the liver, and regulating the immune system.
Replenish energy and regulate temperature
For over a thousand years, mung beans have been used in food therapy. In the Tang dynasty, physician Meng Shen wrote that mung beans “replenish vital energy, harmonize the organs, calm the spirit, regulate the meridians, relieve rashes, moisten the skin, and should be eaten regularly. When boiled into juice, they quench thirst.” This shows mung beans help strengthen the body, balance internal organs, calm the mind, and improve skin conditions such as rashes and dryness.
Drinking mung bean soup regularly in summer can help prevent heatstroke. A recent study found that mung bean polyphenols can reduce cellular damage caused by high temperatures, indirectly confirming the traditional practice of consuming mung bean soup to cool down during hot weather.
A natural detoxifier
Mung bean soup is an excellent beverage for clearing heat and detoxifying. Regular consumption helps relieve conditions caused by internal heat and toxins, such as bad breath, constipation, and excessive body heat. Li Shizhen explained that mung bean flesh is neutral and mainly detoxifies, while the skin is cold and primarily clears heat. Thus, he advised consuming mung beans with their skins intact to maximize their detoxifying effect.
For discomfort caused by a hangover or excessive drinking, drinking mung bean soup helps the body detoxify and prevents severe discomfort the following day.
Modern research shows that sprouting increases the levels of polyphenols, saponins, and vitamin C. They taste fresh and crisp, with detoxifying and bowel-moistening effects. However, Li Shizhen cautioned that sprouts may aggravate skin eruptions during outbreaks, so they should be avoided in such cases, though mung beans themselves remain beneficial.
Treating skin infections and chickenpox
An ancient traditional Chinese remedy known as “Bian Que’s three-bean decoction” is specifically used to treat pediatric skin infections, chickenpox, and large blister sores caused by heat toxins. The formula consists of five maces each of mung beans, red beans, and black beans, combined with three maces of raw licorice, boiled into a soup, and consumed together with the beans. Taken for seven days, it can bring recovery. Especially during summer or outbreaks of skin eruptions, drinking this decoction effectively clears heat toxins and, even if illness occurs, helps to lessen the symptoms.
Healing boils and abscesses
Mung bean powder can be taken internally or applied externally. For internal use, 9-30 grams may be mixed with water and consumed; for external use, an appropriate amount of mung bean powder can be applied directly to the affected area. According to Benjing Fengyuan, aged mung bean powder mixed with honey and applied externally has a notable effect in clearing heat toxins and draining pus from boils or abscesses. In addition, the Shennong Bencao Jingshu also notes that mung bean powder can help relieve toxic heat conditions (such as alcohol or food poisoning) and soothe burns.
Treating acne
For common adolescent skin issues such as pimples, blemishes, or acne, an external remedy can be used to regulate them. Mix one tael of mung bean powder, two maces of talc, and one mace of borneol into a fine powder, blend with warm boiled water, and apply to the face before bedtime. This helps alleviate acne symptoms.
Relieving rashes
If the skin develops redness, swelling, and itching from hives or other heat-related skin conditions, and the symptoms worsen in hot weather, licorice can be added to mung bean soup to make “mung bean licorice soup,” which is even more effective at clearing heat and relieving itching.
Aiding sleep
Similar to the ancient practice of using jade or ceramic pillows, mung bean shell pillows take advantage of their cooling properties. For those who suffer from insomnia due to rising internal heat or a sensation of head congestion, a mung bean shell pillow helps clear excess heat from the head, bringing calmness and tranquility, and promoting faster sleep.
A natural baby-safe antiperspirant
Lightly roast mung bean powder until slightly browned, then mix in a small amount of mint powder. This can serve as a natural alternative to commercial prickly heat powders or antiperspirants. This natural remedy is especially suitable for infants and young children with delicate skin, as it not only clears heat, relieves itching and redness, and keeps the skin fresh, but also carries no chemical burden. It can be applied to the body, underarms, or groin area to help eliminate excess damp-heat.
Five precautions when consuming mung beans
- Those with weak digestion should avoid excessive intake, as mung beans are cold in nature.
- Women should avoid overeating during menstruation, as it may worsen cramps.
- Mung beans detoxify but do not counteract tonic medicines, so that they can be consumed alongside them.
- For cooling purposes, boil mung beans until the soup remains green; overcooking reduces effectiveness.
- Avoid cooking in iron pots, as bean skins may react with metal ions, reducing antioxidant activity.
Mung beans are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine for their ability to clear heat and detoxify. They can aid sleep, moisten the intestines, reduce swelling, and even be used externally for skincare. A bowl of mung bean soup or a pillow filled with mung bean shells can be a refreshing health companion in daily life.
Translated by Cecilia and edited by Amanda
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