Lentils (Lens culinaris) are a leguminous plant that can be used as a source of energy. Lentils are plants closely related to beans and peas. The seeds of lentils are probably the best known part of the lentil plant as the seeds (pulses) are often eaten for their high energy and high protein content. However, other parts of the lentil plant may have nutritional significance and provide significant health benefits. For example, the aerial parts of the lentil plant contain high amounts of acylated flavonoids that might give the plant particular cardioprotective effects when consumed. Flavonoid extracts of lentil plants have been shown to possess significant ability to quench free radicals in experiments and this may relate directly to their flavonoid content. In addition, experimental work using human plasma shows that the flavonoid fraction of the lentil plant can inhibit haemostasis. Therefore the flavonoids in lentils may possess significant antioxidant and anti-blood clotting effects that may make the plants medicinally useful.
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