Traditional Medicine vs Modern Medicine

Cowpeas, Field Peas, Stock Peas and Southern Peas are just a few names by which the Vigna unguiculata is known. Its humble origins seem to be in northern Africa where it's still cultivated to this day. It sustains the people who live on the very edge of existence and it thrives in hot, dry conditions. Brought across the Atlantic to the Caribbean Basin, in the holds of the same ships that carried the tragic passengers who became slaves, it was introduced to the Americas during this dark portion of our history. There are records of its use in Jamaica as early as 1675. It has documented use in Florida in 1700 and North Carolina in 1714.[1] Cowpeas were often known as a "poor man's" food; the landed gentry of the Eastern seaboard preferred the English Pea, Pisum sativum and considered the cowpea simply that: peas grown to feed the cows. George Washington imported 40 bushels of what he called "pease" from Jamaica in 1797 to plant in his fields for forage, but no record exists that he actually sampled them himself. He would probably be shocked to learn that his cattle, slaves and sharecroppers were enjoying such a nutritious diet. Actually, George and his buddies were the same enlightened group who declared the tomato poisonous and unfit for humans, while his poorer but healthier counterparts were eating those with gusto too! Cowpeas consist of an average of 24% protein, are rich in the amino acids lysine and tryptophan and are most nutritious when eaten in combination with cereals. [2] The Southern custom of serving peas with cornbread, rice or biscuits is a tradition that is actually healthy, although carbohydrate heavy. This makes them an ideal food for vegetarians and people who limit their meat intake. The young shoots and leaves can be cooked and eaten in a manner similar to asparagus, or they can be prepared as one would any green such as turnip greens and collards. The ancient Romans and the peoples of the Mediterranean Basin were familiar with them and ate cowpeas prepared in a number of different ways. The young pea pods were often prepared as one would snap beans. The dried leaves are still used today as a meat substitute in poorer villages. Full Cowpeas Nutrition Information