Do you know the two B’s of edible beauty? Mung beans and pearl beads. Yea, we know, doesn’t sound sexy, but they’re actually some of the best-kept beauty secrets for boosting collagen, internal glow, and youthfulness. 

We hope your hungry, because mung beans and pearl beads are both edible and work by building beauty from the inside-out. Get to know your new beauty secret weapons and the tastiest ways to use them with this step-by-step guide.

So What Are Mung Beans? 

These little green spheres kinda look like peas, but, as the name indicates, they’re actually a type of bean! Today, they are an incredibly popular ingredient used in everything from soups to stir-fry. They’re known to help with lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, weight loss, and clearing troubled skin. Don’t expect to see mung beans on a Starbucks cafe menu, but you can find them in many health food stores, Asian grocers, or farmers markets. 

How to Use Mung Beans 

Time to get real tight with these little guys, because to really get the benefits of mung beans, you need to eat them on a consistent basis. Some say that making mung beans a staple in their diet has helped prevent or treat diseases like diabetes, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. Want to get in on the mung bean action but not quite sure how to use them? We created three yummy yet easy-to-make recipes with mung beans as the star of the show. 

Mung Bean Soup 

Wash and soak your mung beans in a bowl of water for about an hour and a half. Then, bring a pot of water to a boil and toss 1 cup of mung beans in, along with a quarter cup of rock sugar. Let the soup stew at a boil for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to add salt and pepper before diving in. You can eat the soup warm or cold, depending on the season and your preference.

Mung Bean Detox Tea 

 The best part about mung beans is you can whip up a few of these recipes all at once! After boiling your mung beans for making soup or hummus, hold on to the water for a detox tea! Strain the beans over another pot to separate the beans from the water. Then add green tea leaves or bags and steep for 7-10 minutes. Strain to remove the leaves and add your sweetener of choice. We recommend honey or a few antioxidant-rich berries like goji or blueberries.  

Mung Bean Hummus 

Soak your mung beans for about an hour and a half in a bowl of water. Then, bring mung beans and water to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Blend 1 and a half cups of mung beans in a food processor until they’re broken down. Then add in a half cup tahini paste, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 clove of chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and blend it all together well. You’ll want to then begin to slowly adding (a few spoonfuls at a time) a third cup of water to your mung bean hummus to help it become smooth and creamy. Once it’s fully blended, you can top your mung bean hummus with shallots, chives, lemon, herbs, or other spices of your choice.

What’s the Story with Mung Beans? 

Both Eastern and Western medicine agree that mung beans are packed with protein, calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber, good carbohydrates, and phosphorus. In TCM it’s believed they help detox the body. They are considered yin, or cooling, foods and can be used to help cool you down from an upset stomach or a particularly emotional day. It’s important to note that these little beans might also spark urination and ease rashes or excessive sweating. 

Originally from India, mung beans found their way further East into China and Southeast Asia. The power of mung beans goes way back to the Ming Dynasty. In the classic TCM book “Ben Cao Gang Mu” (“Compendium of Materia Medica”) by Li Shizhen they were said to help calm nerves, relieve edema, clear internal heat, dispel toxins, and ease extreme thirst and heat stroke. 

What Are Pearl Beads? 

Did you know those pearls on your necklace or earrings carry medicinal properties? While most of the world views pearls as a pretty addition to jewelry collection, it can actually help your immune system, enhance your complexion, and give your brain cells a boost. 

It’s said that pearl contains 30 different minerals such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, copper, iron, and silica. These key minerals and nutrients are required to keep our hormones in balance, and control neural pathways. The shimmer that pearls possess comes from another special element known as conchiolin. It’s said that similarly to the beautifying effects conchiolin has on pearls, it also acts as a luminator and collagen-enhancer for the skin. 

How to Use Pearl Beads 

Depending on what kind of help you need, you can use pearl either internally or externally. The pearl beads are often ground down into a fine powder which can be incorporated into cooking, turned into supplement capsules, or used to make skin creams.

Pearl Smoothies

Pearl is nearly flavorless, meaning you can add the powder into so many different recipes and hardly notice it (yea, we know it sounds a bit weird at first). Make a fruity morning smoothie to maximize skin-focused components like antioxidants. In your blender, combine 1 cup of almond milk, 1 banana, a handful of blueberries, 1 pouch of acai puree, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 500 mg of pearl powder. Feel free to add spinach for some greens, or honey for more sweetness. Blend well and drink up!

Pearl Bone Broth

Bone broths are all the rage right now for those looking to add more collagen to their diet, but if you want to double-down on your skin-rejuvenating routine, consider adding pearl powder to the mix. To make your pearl bone broth, start with adding the bones into your soup pot (you can use chicken, beef, or pork). Then add about 12 cups of water and 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Bring your mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 10-12 hours (you read it correctly: hours). When ready, add salt and pepper then serve yourself a bowl and add your 500 mg of pearl powder, stirring to dissolve. 

Pearl Skin Creams

When you don’t have the time to wait for the effects of pearl to sink in through your food, you can add pearl into your skin creams to get that glow ASAP. Pearl skin creams are already super popular through Asian skincare brands and beginning to be included in Western product lines as well. When picking the right cream for you, be sure that the pearl used in the mixture is hydrolyzed and dissolvable. This ensures that it really soaks into the skin and is most effective.

What’s the Story with Pearl Beads?

From the TCM side of things, pearl is far more important than a cute skincare trick. Pearl is an adaptogen that brings balance to shen (the TCM term for our spirit). Shen manifests as how we show up in the world emotionally and energetically, so imbalances might appear as anxiety, tension, or excessive stress. Pearl is said to neutralize those negative experiences and give you a boost of positive energy. TCM practitioners have also found success using pearls to improve eyesight, enhance circulation, lower blood pressure, reduce symptoms of constipation, and boost endurance.  

Have you tried mung beans or pearl in your skin routine? Share your rituals and recipes with our community.