Mung Bean Drink...Cleanse/Detox

One of the mom's at my boys' school was diagnosed with breast cancer and went through a round of chemo earlier in the school year. She is Asian and uses family recipes to help her detox her body from chemo. I did this with juice, but waited about 5 days after my 5 days on chemo, so that the chemo would be in my body and have time to work, before I flushed it all out.

This mom made me two different "bean drinks," one of which I have made since she made the first batch for me. And it is Mung bean drink. I bought Mung beans at out local organic health food store, Jimbos. They were located in the bulk food section with many other beans and nuts, etc. Fairly cheap, only a couple bucks a pound.

 

In doing a little online research, I learned that mung beans are very popular in China. They make everything from soup, to desserts, to wine with them! There are also several health benefits listed online from them ranging from cooling the body during heatstroke, helping with acne, and ridding the body of toxins.

Here is the recipe for Mung Bean Drink...

Soak 1 1/2 cup mung bean with water for 2 to 3 hours;

I only did one cup, because I couldn't find my large pot

drain the water out and place soaked beans in a 8 qt soup pot; add about 1
1/2 gallon of filtered water and bring it to broiling point and simmer for
another hour or 1 1/2 hr; pour the liquid into jugs and chill.

 

 

I drank it hot, as it's fairly cool out this winter, I drank it out of a coffee cup (I don't drink coffee) and enjoyed the warmth of the drink. It didn't have much flavor as it's basically a broth from the beans.

 

I also learned (maybe I'm dumb for not already knowing) that beans are soaked so that the bad taste of the outer layer of beans is removed while being soaked and not cooked into the "broth" or the bean itself.

 

With it being the new year and all, I figured this is not a bad way to help me lose the few extra pounds I put on from the steroids during and after my surgery as well as with all the holiday food. I've been doing this for a few weeks now and really enjoy the cup of mung bean drink while I drink it. The beans I can eat or toss, depending on what mood I'm in. They're not bad, but I'm not cooking them like a soup with onion, carrots, etc to add flavor, so the beans are plain.

 

Please consult a doctor before using any of my natural cleanses/detoxes. I have done my research and consult with my oncologist on what I can and can't do.