Drinking a bowl of cold sweet Ming Mu (or Mung) bean soup everyday is a Chinese habit during the hot summer – it’s a delicious dessert and a “cold” (yin energy) treat to cool down your system in the heat.
Beans are among the super-nutritious foods, and Ming Mu beans especially should be considered as a superfood as they are rich in protein, fiber, good carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and Vitamins A, B and D.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, since Ming Mu beans are “cold” (yin), they help dispel internal heat, clear away toxins, promote urination and relieve hot weather related diarrhea, and skins rashes. Ming Mu Beans are also good for calming the nerves, reinforce the Yuan Qi (Source Qi), relieve tensions around the eyes, improving the eyesight, and nourish the skin.
- Where to Get Ming Mu Beans
Local Asian grocery stories. If you are too lazy to make a trip to the stores, you can order it from Amazon. 
2. How to Cook Ming Mu Beans
Wash the beans, bring them to a quick boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Done. The soup is clear and green. You can chill the soup in refrigerator and drink the soup and leave the beans.
The second method is for a stronger detoxification. Soak washed beans in hot water for 20 minutes. Then, boil the beans until they are soft and liquid is cloudy. Then eat the beans and the soup (season with a pinch of salt). You can also add honeysuckles(also available on Amazon), then cook for few more minutes. Honeysuckles tea is excellent in alleviating bronchial infections, clear the sore throat, and manage consistent coughing also. Mixing Ming Mu beans and honeysuckles are pretty powerful in purging damp heat from the body.
This helps dispel toxins as these beans are highly diuretic. Eating Ming Mu beans regularly can help relieve high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries. If you add honeysuckles in the beans, you can add a small amount of honey to alleviate bitter taste.
However, if you are “cold” (too much yin energy), suffer from cold extremities or frequent diarrhea, don’t overdo these beans. They can aggravate the cold and cause other ailments. Also, make sure not to take the beans in less than half an hour before or after taking your medications, and /or herbal supplements.
You will be pleasantly surprised to find out how delicious these Ming Mu beans are.
In Chinese medicine, skin is directly controlled by the lungs. During the winter season, our lungs are so busy in protecting us from the external evil, i.e., cold and harsh outside weather, that the lungs can’t keep up with dealing with internal evils trapped somewhere in the body. In most cases, people with chronic skin conditions tend to have weak lungs to being with. Those who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or even severe acnes have a lot of “damp heat” in the body. These skin problems are nothing but the body dumping toxic heat onto the skin. During the cold season, their skin conditions tend to exacerbate because their lung Qi is simply too weak to deal with attacks from outside as well as toxic heat created internally. There are many other issues to consider, but in a nutshell, dry & itchy skins are primarily caused by weak lung Qi.