Hyacinth Bean is often an ingredient in curries and in a pressed form. The seeds (beans) must be boiled extensively because they are high in cyanogenic glucosides (read poison).
The leaves, flowers, pods, and roots of the vine are also edible - after the proper precautions have been taken.
Lablab purpureus is known by a number of common names including Hyacinth Bean, Indian Bean, Egyptian Bean, and Bataw.
Hyacinth Bean is a widespread food crop in the tropics of the Eastern Hemisphere; especially in India, Indonesia, and Africa.
In European and North American societies the Hyacinth Bean is grown mostly as an ornamental.