Hi Martha,

Martha Seagoe wrote:

> >>> "[log in to unmask]"  02/13/99 01:05pm >>>
> > Admittedly..
> >string beans, for example, HAVE to be cooked (or better
> >sprouted),
> >which thus disqualifies them as natural human food.
>
> Really?  I eat these things fresh and raw quite a bit, when
> they're in season in my garden.  They're so delicious!  I give
> them to my kids, too, who love them.  Am I harming us?
> What's wrong with them?
> I asked the list several years ago about eating string beans
> raw, and nobody seemed to have information on it at that
> time.

This rather surprises me as it is a well known fact. Raw string
beans contain a toxin known as "phasine". It is a strong diuretic
and small amounts are even used by the medical industry in diuretic
medicines. Cooking neutralises the phasine.

And just in case you decide to switch to raw broadbeans or red
or white kidney beans, there is some bad news here as well. They
contain an even more dangerous toxin known as "phytohaemagglutinin".

Best regards (and best leave raw beans and seeds alone),

Alan