You wrote:
 
>
>I have a vague feeling this topic has been aired here before;
>but if not, here is a ref. that may be of interest...
>Seems to be merely anecdotal of course...Apols if this is a
>repeat, but it's pretty brief:
>
>================================================================
>From: Dave Cunningham <[log in to unmask]>
>Newsgroups:
bionet.neuroscience,misc.health.alternative,rec.food.preserving,
>sci.agriculture,alt.agriculture.misc,alt.folklore.herbs,
>alt.sustainable.agriculture
>Subject: fava beans
>Date: 18 Feb 1995 02:54:42 GMT
>
>I have a friend who is a healthcare consultant in alternative medicine
and has
>a client in New York City who has Parkinson's disease with really bad
tremors.
>She recently tried a special variety of vicia fava/vicia faba bean with
the
>client (a 54 year old white male) and achieved 3 hours and 15 minutes
of
>tremor-free time for him with just a 100 gram feeding of the beans.
>
>She is trying to access some seeds for this variety as yet unknown but
possibly
>the golden variety or the Cyprus type variety.  Her source of growing
was
>place in England but the person there is unreliable as to sending
frozen product
>and he refuses to send any seeds.  She would like to know if anyone has
any
>information concerning a source of beans (including the pods) or seeds.
 The
>phenomenal thing about the bean pods is that the special varieties have
>enormous amounts of dopamine in them.  There is also at least one other
>ingredient occurring naturally in these high-dopamine content beans
which
>favilitates the removal of certain symptoms such as rigidity
(stiffness) or
>shakes (tremors) in some Parkinso's patients.
>
>P.S. Please contact me via E-Mail due to the lack of my activity in
this
>newsgroup.
>
>Thanks, Dave
>
>====================================================================
>
>
>
>Regards,
>
>--
>robert jones
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
 
A caution regarding fava beans.  There is a group of people (usually of
Mediterranean ancestry) who lack an enzyme needed for the breakdown of a
substance within fava beans; and if they consume such beans, they can
get a serious (and potentially fatal) blood condition called "favism".
I do not recall more specifics; but I want to say that fava beans are
not universally "benign".
 
Best,
 
Bob
 
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Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S.   Phone: 510-849-2555
Neurological Surgery              FAX:  510-849-2557
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