| Botany
Soya is a stout and suberect annual plant
growing to a height of less than a meter. Stems are densely clothed
with fine feruginous hairs. Leaves are long-petioled, with 3 leaflets,
oval, 5 to 10 centimeters long. Racemes have few flowers which are congested. Calyx is densely hairy,
about 7 millimeters long, with long teeth. Corolla is reddish, and a little exserted. Pods are linear-oblong, 2 to 3 in each
axil of leaf, 4 to 5 centimeters long, recurved and densely hairy, containing
2 to 4 oblong to subglobose seeds.
Distribution
- Introduced.
- Cultivated
in some parts of the Philippines.
Constituents
• Contains a fixed oil, 14-22&; protein, 50%; carbohydrates,
16.2%; diastase, urease, lipase, allantoinase, peroxidase, pentosan,
sojasterol, sitosterin, and phasin.
• The two primary isoflavones are daidzein and genistein; others
are puerarin, genistin and daidzin.
• Soybean proteins have two major components: beta-conglycinin
(vicilin class) and glycinin (legumin class), accounting for 390-40%
of total seed proteins.
Properties
• Considered
astringent, carminative, and quieting.
• Dried sprout considered laxative, resolvent, and constructive.
• Root considered astringent.
 Parts used
Leaves, flowers, oil.
Uses
Nutritional
- One of the world's most useful plant.
Typically consumed as a protein drink, soy flour, soy protein, extract,
fiber, cereal or milk beverage.
- Staple article of food in China and Japan.
- "Tokua" as food and" toyo" as flavoring are made
from the beans.
- Tokua is remarkable for its content of protein and fat and low proportion of carbohydrates when compared to beans.
- Soy milk is considered a substitute for human milk, and used in making
ice-cream and flan.
- Soybean is a good source of vitamins A and B; the sprouts have good
vitamin C content.
- Soybeans and soy foods are considered the best dietary sources of isoflavones.
Folkloric
• Bruised leaves
applied to snake bites.
• Flowers used for blindness and corneal opacities.
• Green bean hulls chewed to a pulp are applied to smallpox ulcers,
corneal ulcers and excoriations in children from urine.
• Black beans are considered to provide vigor and strength, and considered a counter poison against most vegetable poisons, ie., Aconite and Croton tiglii.
• Dried sprouts believed to be beneficial for hair growth and
curative for ascites and rheumatism.
• Dried sprouts, without the hulls, are considered laxative, resolvent, and constructive.
• Oil used for ulcers and skin diseases, and for removing bandoline from the hair.
Studies
• Cholesterol
lowering: Soy protein
in the diet can help decrease total and LDL cholesterol with no significant
effect on HDL.
• Anti-diarrheal:
Soy formula for infants
and young children decreased bowel movements and days of diarrhea.
• Menopause:
May be beneficial in reducing menopausal symptoms, such as
hot flushes. A study in Spain of 190 postmenopausal women on isoflavone-rich
soy preparation (PHYTO SOYA) showed significant improvement in menopausal
symptoms associated with lack of estrogen.
•
Anti-Cancer: Some studies are
conflicting as to whether supplements can increase or decrease the risk
of breast cancer. The isoflavone genistein in animal cancer studies
have shown anticancer effects: anti-angiogenesis, tyrosine-kinase inhibition,
or apoptosis. However, genistein has been reported to increase growth
of panceatic tumor cells in the lab.
• Diabetes: (1) Functional
components associated with ameliorating T2DM: beta-sitosterol (antilipemic),
genisterin and daidzein (lipase inhibitory), glycitein and soyasaponin
A3, A4, A5, A6 and soyasaponin V (lipoxygenase inhibitory), soyasaponin
A1 and A2 and stigmasterol (antilipemic). (2) Extracts from the seeds of G max were evaluated for antihyperglycemic activity. Results conclude that the aqueous extract, but not the petroleum ether and alcoholic extracts, showed antihyperglycemic activity.
• Anti-Arthritic: A study of G max for antiarthritic activity showed reversal of paw volume, biochemical, hematological and histological parameters. Further investigation is suggested to identify the compounds responsible for the antiarthritic activity.
• Isoflavone / Antioxidant: Study showed soy extracts activate NO synthesis in endothelial cells and protect against cell damage. The soy isoflavones potentially act as a NO promoter and as an antioxidant.
• Antinociceptive / Anti-Inflammatory: Study showed ethanolic extracts of G max and R nulubilis seeds tested possessed antinociceptive and antiinflammatory activities.
• Potent Phytoestrogen Glycinol: Study of a novel isoflavone, glycinol, showed potent estrogenic activity and may represent an important component of the health effects of soy-based foods.
• Antibacterial / Anticancer: Study
evaluated various extracts of four trifoliate plants: Glycine max (control), Cajanus cajans, Phaseolus vulgaris and Tecoma stans for bioactivities. The chloroform extract showed the best antibacterial activity; the methanol extracts, the best anticancer activity Safety
• Allergies: Like milk, eggs, peanuts, fish and wheat, may act as a food allergen. Symptoms are can be varried, from runny nose to hypotension.
• Side Effects: Soy protein may cause gastrointestinal intolerance – bloating, nausea, constipation. Infants fed with soy protein formula may develop vomiting, diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, colitis, atopic eczema and thyroid abnormalities.
• Estrogen Effects: Because of concerns on estrogen-like effects, its use is discouraged in patients with hormone-sensitive cancers (breast, ovarian, uterine).
Availability
Commercial cultivation.
Extracts and miscellany of soy food products and supplements in the cybermarket. |
