ABSTRACT
Winged bean has been grown since ancient time in Papua New Guinea and South East Asia where it was generally considered as poor man's crop. Winged bean, also known by various vernacular names like asparagus pea, four-angled bean, Goa bean, Manila bean, Mauritius bean and winged pea, is a tropical legume plant. Based on chemical composition of dry seeds, pods, stalks and leaves of winged beans, it has been concluded that its seeds have a high range of protein and fat, which are found similar to soybean. The peculiarity of winged bean is that apart from stalk virtually every part of the plant, i.e., underground roots, leaves, flowers, pods, and seeds, is usable. Many medicinal properties are attributed to various plants parts and in different forms of applications under indigenous system of medicine such as leaf infusion for the treatment of eye and ear infections, dyspepsia, leaf paste for boils, seeds for venereal diseases, tubers as poultice for vertigo, etc.
