Cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba)

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba is cluster bean, kothavarangai or guar, a hardy, drought-loving bean whose tender pods are a common vegetable in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Its seeds yield guar gum (E412), a thickener used in ice cream, sauces, cosmetics and oil-well drilling. Rajasthan grows most of the world’s guar. The fracking boom of 2012 briefly sent guar prices soaring.

Botanical name: Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.
Family: Fabaceae
Tamil: Kothavarangai
Hindi: Guar phali
Parts used: Tender pod
Habit: Cluster bean; the ribbed pod is cuisine, the gum is industry
Last updated: 2026-10-27

How to recognise Cluster bean

It is an upright, bushy annual, usually knee- to waist-high, with leaves of three toothed, oval leaflets.

Small purple to pink pea-flowers grow in clusters in the leaf axils.

The pods grow in dense clusters along the stem, straight, flattened and slightly four-angled, which explains the English name.

Each pod holds several small, hard, pale seeds that are the source of the gum.

Traditional use of Cluster bean

Kitchen

Tender pods are cooked into poriyal, kootu and sambar in Tamil Nadu and into sabzi in Rajasthan, and dried as vathal for frying.

Tamil and Rajasthani food practice

Farming

Guar is sown as a monsoon crop in sandy soils of Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, where little else grows reliably.

Western Indian farm practice

Modern notes on Cluster bean

Guar gum is a soluble fibre. Trials show it can modestly lower cholesterol and slow sugar absorption, but large amounts of dry gum can swell and cause blockage.

The oil industry uses guar gum to thicken fracking fluids, which links desert farmers to global oil prices.

Cluster bean safety

Eat the pods cooked. Take guar gum supplements only with plenty of water.

Ecology and sourcing

It was domesticated in north-western India and Pakistan from a wild African relative.

It fixes nitrogen and tolerates heat, drought and poor soil, making it a good rotation crop.

Bees visit its small flowers.

Related plants

Also in Fabaceae

Questions about Cluster bean

What is guar gum?

A thickener made from the seed endosperm.

Where is Cluster bean grown?

Mainly in Rajasthan, with Haryana and Gujarat.

How is Cluster bean eaten?

Tender pods are cooked as a vegetable.

How do I pick good pods?

Choose young, tender, bright green pods that snap cleanly; older pods turn stringy.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.