Adzuki bean is a Chinese herb that should be distinguished from red beans, which are of different varieties and have a more elongated appearance. Adzuki bean has the effect of promoting water retention and decreasing swelling and dampness and reducing yellowness. It is sweet in taste and flat in nature, and is attributed to the heart and small intestine meridians. It is often used to treat edema due to weak kidney energy and deficient qi-transformation function, especially edema below the waist is more pronounced, and is often used in combination with mulberry bark, white foxtail root, and coix seed. It can also be used to treat jaundice with drugs such as Yin Chen, Rhubarb, Forsythia and Gardenia. Modern pharmacological analysis shows that adzuki bean is rich in protein and vitamins and has an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, so it is now often used with coix seeds and angelica to treat intestinal or skin canker sores and pus.