Question:

I have had parkinsons for 20 years and have just started growing my own Fava Beans . We read that the leaves and stems have dopamine also and so decided to try leaf tea and steamed leaves. So far after a week, we are obtaining good results . 

We would like to know if any other Parkinson’s patient you have interviewed have used the leaves or leaf tea?

Patricia

Response:

I have talked with one woman with Parkinsons who also grows her own fava beans with resounding  success. She lives in a relatively cold climate. Her season  for growing the plants is relatively short which poses unique challenges for her.

Some people purchase fava beans from commercial sources. I have received many inquires asking what company is a reliable source. Here is what I have discovered. Some companies send out high quality fava beans which work beautifully for people, then send a batch which fizzles. To my knowledge, there is no reliable commercial source of fava beans. 

Why is this? They are not grown in the wild. Here is what I learned about herbs like fava beans in my interview with Andrew Bentley who is a herbalist. Andrew is one of the 14 pioneers I interview for the Pioneers of Recovery book which I just published.

Andrew tells me he also has not found a reliable, high quality source of fava beans for his own clients. This is quite amazing news, since his job as a herbalist is to use natural herbs to help people get well.

Andrew explains in Pioneers of Recovery that herbs need to be grown in the wild in order to carry the energetic punch that is essential for making the herbs work well. His argument makes good sense to me. Herbs grown in the wild are infused with the energy or the earth. Herbs grown in commercial fields lack this divine infusion of healing energy. Andrew harvests all his herbs in the wild. He purchases nothing from commercial companies. 

Growing your own fava beans may be just like growing them in the wild. I would encourage anyone with the symptoms of Parkinsons to follow your lead. Ingesting fava beans does help many people get relief from their symptoms. Other people supplement their regular medications with fava beans and find they are able to reduce their dosage significantly. As with any herbal therapy, everyone does not see significant relief but many are.

Some people order fava beans from a commercial source, found it did not make any difference and concluded that the bean does not help give them relief from symptoms. It is very possible that the problem was not the fava bean itself, but the source from where it was acquired.

Please keep us all appraised of your exciting project.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com