Famine Relief Herbal (1593): Adsuki bean

Woodcut illustration of the adsuki bean (chi xiaodou) from Jiuhuang bencao (The Famine Relief Herbal), edition of 1593 (21st year of the Wanli reign period of the Ming dynasty, Gui Si year). This herbal was compiled by Prince Zhu Su (?-1425), fifth son of the Ming Taizu Emperor (r. 1368-1398), the founder of the Ming dynasty. It was first engraved for publication in 1525. It contains entries on 414 edible plants, all of them illustrated. The author cultivated most of these plants in his gardens, and lived on the produce. In the text, Zhu Su states: The stalk of the adsuki bean grows to 1-2 chi (1 chi [Chinese foot] = c. 1/3 m.). The leaves and flowers are like those of the jiangdou (Vigna unguiculata; cowpea, black-eyed pea). The beans are of three colours: red, white and black. It is sweet in sapor, neutral in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. In the event of famine, both the leaves and the beans of the adsuki can be consumed. The leaves and beans are cooked in boiling water and eaten with a seasoning of oil and salt.

Adsuki bean (chi xiaodou); the leaves and the fruit can both be eaten.