[Herbalist] The bean question

[tboroson]

> I just happen to teach a class at work on natural foods, and we cover the
> bean problem in depth.  The culprit for beans is a carbohydrate called
> raffinose sugar, one which humans lack the enzyme to digest.  There are
> several ways to avoid the 'fart factor'.  Beano is a product sold in small
> purse/pocket sized packages to add to your food when you're out and about,
> and is basically a digestive enzyme that allows you to digest the unfamiliar
> carb.  Soaking the beans and then discarding the soaking water will remove
> much of the raffinose sugar.  Adding a bay leaf or asofaedtia (an Indian
> spice) can help as well.  Adding a piece of kombu sea vegetable (sea weed)
> to the cooking pot adds the digestive enzyme as well, and seems to work
> best.   I've heard other ideas for herbs to add to the cooking pot, but none
> that I can confirm anywhere.
> Hope this helps,
> Christianna

I've used kombu for this, and it does work well; The caveat is that kombu is a natural source of MSG, which can be a problem for some sensitive people like my mother.

-Magdalena