**Background:** The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines orphan or underutilized crops as species that have lost relevance over the last 500 years due to societal, agronomic, or biological factors. Legumes of the subfamily Faboideae (Papilionoideae), the largest legume group with approximately 503 genera and 14,000 species, include many such neglected species despite their potential nutritional and medicinal value. The authors note that a lack of dietary variety from focusing on few crops has negative health implications, and underutilized legumes offer high nutrient content and health-promoting phytochemicals that could aid in preventing malnutrition and chronic diseases.
**Methods:** A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct for articles reporting nutritional and pharmacological properties of underutilized Faboideae legumes. Approximately 21,800 articles were obtained and analyzed, with the most relevant selected. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list was consulted for species status.
**Key Results:** The review identified species from eight genera: Psophocarpus, Tylosema, Vigna, Vicia, Baphia, Mucuna, Indigofera, and Macrotyloma. Key nutritional findings include: Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (winged bean) seeds contain 32–37% protein, comparable to soybeans, with 23–40% carbohydrates and 14–25% fats. Tylosema esculentum (marama bean) seeds contain 29–39% protein and 24–42% oil, with fatty acid profiles similar to peanuts. Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) seeds are high in proteins and essential amino acids including tryptophan and lysine. Vigna subterranea (Bambara groundnut) contains approximately 57–67% carbohydrate, 15–27% protein, and lipids below 10%. Pharmacological activities documented include: P. tetragonolobus extracts showed antioxidant activity, with the ethyl acetate fraction demonstrating the greatest potential; the methanol extract exhibited strong antiproliferative activity against human colon cancer cells (HT-29). Tylosema esculentum seed coat extracts yielded proanthocyanidins including epicatechin-3-O-gallate, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate responsible for DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Vicia faba contains L-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine), a dopamine precursor used in Parkinson's disease treatment, with three peptides from faba bean protein hydrolysate showing DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 0.25–1.9 mM). Vicia faba seed extracts inhibited α-amylase with IC50 values of 2.94 and 5.27 mg/mL for acetone and methanol extracts respectively. Mucuna pruriens seeds contain approximately 4% L-DOPA and demonstrated antidiabetic activities comparable to glibenclamide in alloxan-induced diabetic models. Indigofera tinctoria yielded compounds with neuroprotective activity more effective than deprenyl in Parkinson's disease models. Macrotyloma uniflorum (horse gram) showed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting snake venom phospholipase A2 (VRV-PLA2) by 87.56% (seed coat) and 52.1% (pulp) at 100 μg.
**Clinical Implications:** The review suggests that orphan Faboideae legumes have substantial potential to address food insecurity and malnutrition in developing countries due to their high protein content and nutritional profiles comparable to major cultivated legumes. The phytoconstituents identified—including phenolics, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, L-DOPA, and various terpenoids—demonstrate pharmacological activities relevant to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, inflammation, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders. The authors recommend that these underutilized species be promoted as major legumes and that their bioactive compounds be further investigated as lead compounds for drug development. However, the review notes that many species contain anti-nutritional factors (trypsin inhibitors, phytates, tannins) that can be reduced through processing methods such as soaking, boiling, fermentation, and roasting.