I was diagnosed with PD 4 years ago, and am on a low dose Mirapex ever since. I am interested in trying the fava beans tincture but I can’t locate a doctor in this area that knows anything about testing for favism or G6PD. Is it to risky to take it without the test?
Also, I am wondering how you are doing with the fava beans tincture made fermenting the beans and adding brandy. That would be my preference.Could you advise me how to use the beans for best results?
Thank You and God Bless.
Testing for favism by having a G6pd test: We have a lab here open to the public called “ANY BLOOD TEST NOW” You don’t even need a doctor to send you there. Just go and tell them what you want and they do it. They can send the results to your doctor and to you..whatever you like. See
if this place is a “chain.” You might have one near you. Even if the doctor you have doesn’t know anything about the test just request that he order blood drawn and do it, because the diagnostic places know about it and that is what is important. A doctor should have enough courtesy to open a book and look up things he knows nothing about. Favism is an inherited enzyme deficiency.
As for making the fava bean tincture – I collect just the tops (unopened leaves and flowers that form at the top of the plant). Afterwards they come up from the bottom also and on side shoots. The pinching off of the tops actually discourages aphids. It is the candy on the plant. This also makes the plant healthier, bushier and it produces side shoots because of it, hence more tops!
I just dry the fava bean tops in a dehydrator, put them in a jar, cover with brandy, label the jar and shake it for a month, then strain, pressing tops to get the most possible tincture out of them. Let this sit still for a day with a lid covering it tight so it doesn’t evaporate.
Then take something to extract it from the top down slowly so as not to disturb the sediment that has settled to the bottom of the jar. This can be a brand new turkey baster used only for this purpose. I found a really nice one that is stainless steel at Bed/ Bath and Beyond. It has a smaller hole at the end an injector for putting fluids into meat that you are cooking. Works great.
The sediment at the bottom is not something you want in with your tincture. It will shorten the shelf life. It can be used though. I put it in another little dropper bottle marked SEDIMENT of fava tops tincture and use it first.
I have not yet tried fermenting fava beans…have thought about it alot and will try in January this year when the world slows down a little (hopefully). Perhaps you can try a ferment and let us know how it goes???
After you have your G6pd test done try sprouting fava beans for 3 days. Peel and rinse and cut out any bad places and then steam them for 6 minutes. Eat a few and see if that helps. They keep well frozen in a single layer in ziplock freezer bags and it is easy to access them when needed.  On the blog there is a recipe for fava sprout balls. Try them also.
By the way they can be squashed and dehydrated to make them more portable. We just tried this and they work fine. It makes them like a cookie. I still keep them in the freezer until needed to retain freshness.
If you are growing your own patch of fava beans one of the best means of support is the very young green pods. Wash / Steam / Juice and take a small amount, building til you find the proper amount of l-dopa to support you. I suggest freezing small portions that would be enough for a day of doses instead of freezing a jar. Ice cube trays might work well or use juice to make dried fava juice chips. They keep well and work great for
support.
We all are different. What works for me may not work for you and vise versa. Always start small when trying something new. I think of it as “Non-Clinical trials.” Take notes and write how you feel/ what symptoms
you are experiencing, etc. Then as you feel a change which comes on so slow and un-noticed at times with the beans…they are such a gentle support…..try to be aware and write it down. There is no way of measuring l-dopa with self – concocted supplements (unless you are also a chemist) so it is a guessing game basically.
It is a game I personally do not mind playing though. It is better to me than having a doctor play the guessing game and me be a true guinee pig with chemicals my body doesn’t know what to do with.
I suggest the book: Natural Therapies for Parkinson’s Disease by Dr. Laurie Mischley She has done a marvelous job of suggesting supplements/ foods etc for PD.
Read and research on your own. You are the one who will benefit from it. It’s worth it!
God Bless.
Love,
Aunt Bean