The seeds are edible, but should be cooked before being eaten. Caragana arborescens contains the non proteinogenic amino acid L-canavanine and may store from nearly 6 to 13% L-canavanine by dry weight.
The edible seeds need to be cooked before ingestion. Caragana arborescens contains the non-protein-forming amino acid L-canavanine and stores a significant amount, ranging from 6 to 13%, by dry weight.