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Mucuna Pruriens
Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume in the Fabaceae family that is native to Asia and Africa where it grows wild. English names for mucuna include velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, and Lyon bean.
Mucuna is a shrub with long vines, pointy leaves, and white, purple, or lavender flowers. Its seed pods are around four inches long, and contain up to seven black or brown seeds, also called beans.
The plant, and particularly the seeds, have long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat anxiety, arthritis, snake bites, scorpion stings, and Parkinson’s disease. The shoots and beans can both be cooked and eaten. And the beans are sometimes used as a coffee substitute, which sounds like something resembling blasphemy.
What makes mucuna pruriens special is its high levels of the amino acid L-DOPA, a precursor to dopamine. L-DOPA is converted to dopamine in the brain through a process called decarboxylation. People suffering from Parkinson’s disease have low levels of this hormone, which is why mucuna is used to treat the disease. L-DOPA is also a precursor to other hormones like norepinephrine, serotonin, melatonin, and HGH (human growth hormone).
Mucuna Pruriens Benefits
Mucuna pruriens isn’t just a good source of L-DOPA, it’s the highest natural source of it. And as stated above, it leads to the production of dopamine – a neurotransmitter that helps our bodies better handle stress. Dopamine is essential for emotional health, cognitive function, muscle coordination, and motor skills.
Dopamine is depleted by stimulants (including nicotine and caffeine), alcohol, and stress, which means most of us could probably use more of it. If you ever feel restless and jittery, you can bet you need more dopamine.
Mucuna pruriens is also rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps our bodies produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. It’s also known for having antidepressant and cognitive qualities, including the enhancement of learning and memory.
Mucuna has a long history in Ayurvedic medicine as being an aphrodisiac. It’s also been known to promote fertility in men and women, increase sperm count, regulate ovulation cycles, and enhance the production of hormones like testosterone and HGH.
A 2009 study, involving 75 men suffering from infertility issues, examined mucuna pruriens effect on male fertility and found that it significantly improved levels of dopamine, sperm count, and testosterone.[77]
- Promotion of restful sleep
- Treatment for Parkinson’s disease
- Relief from stress and anxiety
- Improved memory and brain health
- Restoration of kidney and adrenal functions
- Reduction in addictive cravings
- Neurological benefits
- Mood improvement
- Calming effect on the nervous system
Many of these benefits are dopamine related, along with the production of hormones like serotonin and melatonin. However, the HGH production capabilities of mucuna cannot be overstated. HGH is primarily produced by the pituitary gla