ANyone tried eating the leaves of the fava bean plant? We are growing some and it's way too early for the beans, and I read the pod has the most levodopa anyway, although you can eat stem, leaf, pod, and bean. I've also read that since the pod has the most ldopa in it, so you really want fresh, since the dried bean is just, well it's just the bean. I can't find fresh anywhere, but I realize it's very early in the season.

In the meantime, the plants are growing, and I was thinking of making a salad with the leaves. If I took just one leaf off of each plant, I could have a small salad...anyone ever eat the leaves of these plants and if so, get any therapeutic benefit (other than a healthy meal)?

I'll alert Aunt Bean to answer this. She's the fava bean expert!
Peg

Hi! Yes, we have eaten a few in salad and also made a tea with the leaves which gave dopamine support and was good. They taste alot like spinach. Don't eat too many at a time because you will throw your meds off. As with the bean, go slowly and build up gradually til you find the right amount for balancing with your meds. Have you had the G6pd test yet? (you may have told me and I have forgotten. ) Before you eat any of the plant or beans, please check to make sure you don't have favism (an enzyme deficiency which causes the blood cells to "self-destruct " and can bring on an emergency situation. Look up favism on the web and research well/ take a blood test! I've had mine.

This link shows them as edible:

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/p...90/v1-391.html

Forgot to tell you that we usually steamed the leaves first, or made tea, but I have eaten quite a few raw.