What is Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi)?

Habb-ul-Qilt is the Unani name for horse gram, a small hard bean. Its Latin name is Macrotyloma uniflorum. It is both a food and a single-drug remedy.

Unani healers give it most often for stones in the kidney or bladder. They also use it for slow digestion, wind, and to help with weight. It is seen as a warming food for cold, damp weather.

Long use in a tradition is not proof that a remedy works. Human studies on this bean are few and small. So the evidence grade here is low, while the traditional standing is strong.

How does Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi) work?

No one has shown how horse gram works in the body. What follows is best-guess thinking, not proof.

The beans are high in fibre and plant protein. Fibre slows how fast sugar moves from a meal into your blood. That may explain the steadier blood sugar seen in small food studies.

Horse gram is also said to act as a mild diuretic (something that makes you pass more urine). More urine may help wash grit out of the urinary tract. This idea rests on tradition and animal work, not on good human trials.

Lab tests show the beans slow the breakdown of starch. Whether that matters inside a living person is still unknown.

What forms does Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi) come in?

You will find horse gram in a few forms.

The whole dry bean is the most common. Cooks soak it and boil it into a soup or thin broth. Unani practice often uses the cooked water rather than the bean itself.

Ground flour and roasted powders are sold in South Asian shops. Capsules and extract powders exist online, but their strength is rarely listed and rarely checked.

Where it comes from:

Horse gram has fed people in South Asia for thousands of years. Unani texts list it as Habb-ul-Qilt, a warming and drying single drug. Ayurveda knows the same bean as Kulattha or Kulthi and uses it for stones and for weight.

It spread through Persian and Arab medicine along the same trade routes as other pulses. Farmers still grow it as a hardy crop on poor, dry soil.

What does Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi) help with?

• Kidney and bladder stones: This is the best-known use in Unani and Ayurvedic practice. Healers boil the beans and give the strained water daily. The idea is that it makes you pass more urine and helps carry small grit out. We could not find a good human trial that tests this. Do not use it in place of care for a stone that is causing severe pain or blocking urine.
• Blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes: Horse gram is a low-glycaemic food, meaning it raises blood sugar slowly after a meal. Small feeding studies support that. As a swap for white rice or bread it is a sensible choice. There is no good trial showing that horse gram powder or capsules treat diabetes.
• Weight management: Tradition treats it as a food that reduces heaviness and fat. The plain explanation is that fibre and protein help you feel full for longer. No solid human trial shows weight loss from horse gram on its own.
• High cholesterol: Pulses in general help lower cholesterol a little when eaten often. Horse gram fits that group. Trials on horse gram in particular are lacking, so treat any benefit as likely small and slow.
• Slow digestion, bloating and wind: Unani texts call it warming and drying, and use it for a sluggish gut. In practice, beans give some people more wind, not less. Evidence here is traditional only.

Which foods are rich in Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi)?

1. Whole horse gram beans: the source itself, boiled as soup or dal
2. Kulthi rasam and kollu soup: South Indian dishes built on the boiled bean water
3. Horse gram flour: used in flatbreads and savoury batters
4. Sprouted horse gram: softer and easier on the gut than the dry bean

Practical Tips:

Always soak and boil the beans; sprouting alone does not make raw beans safe.

What are the side effects of Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi)?

• Wind, bloating and stomach cramps
• Loose stools when you first start
• More trips to the toilet to pass urine
• A rise in uric acid, which can set off a gout attack
• Lower iron and zinc uptake if you eat large amounts every day
• Nausea and vomiting after raw or undercooked beans
• Allergic reactions in people sensitive to beans and pulses

Good to know:

For most people this is an ordinary bean and side effects are mild. Gut symptoms are the usual complaint and settle if you start with a small amount.

The two effects worth real attention are gout attacks from the purine load and illness from raw beans. Cook the beans well every time.

How much Habb-ul-Qilt (Kulthi) should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no proven medicinal dose. As a food, 25 g to 50 g of dry beans a day is a normal serving. Soak them for several hours, then boil them well. A common traditional preparation is one to two teaspoons of the powder simmered in a cup of water, taken once or twice a day. Capsule products vary widely, so follow the label and keep the dose low.
• Best time of day: The boiled water is usually taken in the morning on rising, or split between morning and evening. As a food, eat it at your main meal.
• With or without food: Eat the beans as part of a meal. Take the boiled water between meals, and keep it a couple of hours away from iron, zinc or thyroid tablets.
• Time to effect: Any effect on digestion or fullness shows within a few days. Changes to blood sugar or cholesterol from diet take weeks to months, and may be small.
• How long to take it: As a food you can eat it as often as you like. If you are using it as a remedy, try four to six weeks, then take stock. Stop and speak to a doctor if nothing has changed, or if joint pain, rash or stomach trouble appears.