Bitter Horse Bean

The Famine Relief Herbal states that the Bitter Horse Bean grows in the countryside of Yanjin County and is found widely in various locations. The plant reaches a height of about two feet. Its stems resemble those of the Astragalus (黃芪): a common medicinal herb in the legume family, and the stems are covered in fine, delicate hairs. The leaves are similar to broad bean leaves but slightly smaller, and also resemble puncturevine leaves, though they are larger.

Between the branches and leaves, it produces reddish-purple flowers. It bears seed pods roughly the size of a thumb-tip; because the pods are largely hollow and inflated, they are colloquially known as "Sheep's Urine Bladders." Inside the pods are seeds the size of mung beans, which are tea-brown in color. Both the seeds and the leaves have a bitter flavor.

Preparation for consumption:
To prepare the leaves, boil them until soft, then soak them in frequently changed water to extract the bitter compounds. Once cleaned, they can be tossed with oil and salt for eating. To prepare the seeds, soak and wash them in water to remove the bitterness, then sun-dry them. They can then be ground or pounded into flour to make baked flatbreads or steamed buns.

According to observations in the Pingxi region of Shanxi, the plant is also prevalent there. In those areas, the flowers resemble pea blossoms and are a vivid red. The fruits are hollow and thin, appearing in clusters of ten or more. The seeds within are quite small, and one often finds insects lurking or lying dormant inside the pods. Due to its unpleasant odor, the local people there call it the "Horse Fart Bladder." When famine (饑饉): a period of extreme food scarcity strikes, people resort to gathering this plant. However, like a original: "枯魚銜索" (kūyú xián suǒ) — literally "a dried fish hanging on a rope." This classical idiom refers to a person or resource in a desperate, precarious state that is slowly being depleted., how can such a supply not be completely exhausted?