PIGEONPEA - Arhar

Pigeonpea Arhar is the most common pulse eaten all over India.

Cultivation The centre of origin is most likely Asia, is popular pulse crop, native to Africa and is now grown in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka states of India. In India, it is also grown as cover crop in plantations. The Arhar plant is an erect annual or short-lived perennial reaching a height of 3-10 feet. Because the coarse bush is deeply rooted, it has wide adaptability and grows well on semiarid land.It has slender, pointed trifoliate leaves and yellow or yellow and red flowers.

Uses - It is useful in oral ulcers, odontalgia, gingivitis, stranguary and inflammations. The seeds are astringent, acrid, sweet, anthelmintic, cooling, pectoral, constipating, resolvent, alexeteric, febrifuge and expectorant. The seeds are useful in tumours, oral ulcers, cough, vomiting, bronchitis, haemorrhoids, fever and cardiac diseases. The juice of Arhar leaves are also recommended in lead poisoning. The use of Arhar roots as medicine is not mentioned in reference literatures.

Health - Pigeon peas are nutritionally important, as they contain high levels of protein and the important amino acids methionine, lysine, and tryptophan. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced human food.