I am very excited to be able now to send a picture of the FAVA TOP that I make into tincture for l-dopa supplementation for myself. It is not very big and takes quite a few to dry (for just about 4 hours) and make a jar of them..but for those of you who are serious about staying off pharmas like me…it is worth the work. So far at going on 5 years taking it for my symptoms…I have had no unwanted side effects, just the absence of symptoms (unless I wait too long to take some). It is so easy to carry and take when needed that this doesn’t happen very often.

You could also call it a bud. It is ust a small roundish cluster that forms at the top of each stem. It is important to remove the top few inches of each stem anyway to encourage more stems to spring up from the base. It does not hurt the plant and discourages aphids and ants that love this little bud so much. After it is removed..they leave too.

I dry the little bud and either eat or discard the leaves (they are good dried and powdered separately to add like parsley or dried spinach to dishes…so keep them if you have time and dry them by themselves. DON’T put the leaves into tincture..they don’t seem to have much strength)

You can also tincture flowers separately undried and they seem to have a very calming affect, but I have not had mine tested as yet for l-dopa content…It is hard to find a chemist interested in the project. Anyway…the little part I am holding between my fingers in the picture is the Top or Bud for the tincture that I use. I hope this helps to clarify it for all you fava bean growers out there. Have a great day.

May God Bless You and Your Bean Patch.

Love,

Aunt Bean