Grains, Beans, Others

- Grain-starch partly cannot be transformed into glucose.

- Grains and beans contain phytic acid, inhibiting the absorption of protein, minerals and trace elements.

- Other substances in grains inhibiting digestion are: pentosanes and lectins in wheat, arabinoxilanes and alkylresorcines in rye, glucanes and enzyme-inhibitors in barley, and millet contains dhiurrine, a cyanogenic glycoside, which can originate cyanide. Grains containing least enzyme inhibiting substances are rolled oats. For they are hard to maintain raw, 'raw' rolled oats are hardly ever really raw, and generally have had some kind of heat-treatment.

- Beans (and currants) contain 4 to 140 times as much lignin (indigestible aromatic alcohol polymers), than fruit averagely does. Lignins easily bind to cholesterol (2) and minerals (3) (and N-nitrosocompounds (2)).

- Soy beans contain a lot of different substances inhibiting digestion, like phytic acid, lots of polyurones, arabinoxylanes (special pentosanes),toxic lectins and mutagenic phyto-estrogens. Excessive enzyme inhibitors and lectins can cause pancreas enlargement. (4)

- Some beans (vicia faba) contain isouramile and divicine (pyrimidines) causing radical oxygen release.

- Flat peas (lathyrus sativus) contain pro-oxidative nitriles and toxins.

- Parsley, celeriac, dill and fennel can contain small amounts of furocoumarines (psoralenes) that can become tumor-stimulating.

- Cacao, nutmeg, laurel, mace, anise, black pepper and ginger can contain tiny amounts of cancerous safrol.


Some of the following 'active plant ingredients' can be useful as medication, as they influence processes in our body. Of course this requires proper diagnosis first, and subsequent professional guidance. Otherwise these natural ingredients can bring the body out of balance.

- Aloe vera contains polysaccharides high in mannose which are so-called 'biological response modifiers'. This means they stimulate B- and T-cell (lymphocytes) activity, interfering with the defense system. (5)

- Ginseng lowers fasting blood glucose levels and increases raised blood glucose conditions (6), interfering with the blood energy regulatory system.

- Rose hip contains polyphenols such as proanthocyanidins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside) and flavonoids (incl. Catechin, quercetin, several glycosides of quercetin and glycosides of taxifolin and eriodictyol, phloridzin and methyl gallate-rutinoside). Quercetine, for example, has mutagenic properties. (7) Flavonoids are known to have cytotoxic properties. (8)

- Ginkgo biloba is reported to possibly cause haemorrhages when taken with other antiplatelet agents. Ginkgo biloba also contains quercetin, and bilobalide, ginkgolides, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, rutin hydrate, quercetin-3-beta-D-glucoside and quercitrin hydrate. (9)

- Horsetail is mildly toxic and decreases triglyceride and cholesterol levels. (10) Horsetail is also sedative and contains tannins, saponins and flavonoids. (11)

- The aroma of Lavender negatively affects performance of working memory, and impaires reaction times for both memory and attention. (12) Lavender also has diuretic properties. (13)

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© 2000-2007 Copyright Artists Cooperative Groove Union U.A.



Abstracts of most sources can be found at the National Library of Medicine

(2) Slamenova, D. et al, Detection of lignin biopolymer- and vitamin E-stimulated reduction of DNA strand breaks in H2O2- and MNNG-treated mammalian cells by the omet assay. Nutr. Cancer 1999 / 33 (1) / 76-81.
(3) Hofrichter, M. et al, Production of manganese peroxidase and organic acids and mineralization of 14C'-labeled lignin (14C-DHP) during solid state fermentation of wheat straw with the white rot fungus nematoloma frowardii. Appl. Environ. Micriobiol. 1999 / 65 (5) / 1864-1870.
(4) Grant, G. et al, Pancreatic enlargement is evident in rats fed diets containing raw soybeans (Glycine max) or cowpeas (Vigna unguiuluta) for 800 days but not in those fed diets based on kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) or lupinseed (Lupinus augustifolius). J. Nutr. 1993 / 123 (12) / 2207-2215.
(5) Leung MY et al, Chemical and biological characterization of a polysaccharide biological response modifier from Aloe vera L. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berg. Glycobiology. 2004 Jun;14(6):501-10.
(6) Reay JL et al, The glycaemic effects of single doses of Panax ginseng in young healthy volunteers. Br J Nutr. 2006 Oct;96(4):639-42.
(7) Hvattum E. Determination of phenolic compounds in rose hip (Rosa canina) using liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry and diode-array detection. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2002;16(7):655-62.
(8) Trovato A et al, In vitro cytotoxic effect of some medicinal plants containing flavonoids. Boll Chim Farm. 1996 Apr;135(4):263-6.
(9) Ding S et al, Quantitative determination of major active components in Ginkgo biloba dietary supplements by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2006;20(18):2753-60.
(10) Xu CF et al, [Effect of Equisetum hyemale on experimental hyperlipemia in rats and its toxic test]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 1993 Jan;18(1):52-3, 64. Chinese.
(11) Dos Santos JG Jr et al, Sedative and anticonvulsant effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Equisetum arvense. Fitoterapia. 2005 Sep;76(6):508-13.
(12) Moss M et al, Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. Int J Neurosci. 2003 Jan;113(1):15-38.
(13) Elhajili M et al, [Diuretic activity of the infusion of flowers from Lavandula officinalis] Reprod Nutr Dev. 2001 Sep-Oct;41(5):393-9. French.