BACKGROUND The seed powder of the leguminous plant, Mucuna pruriens has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine for diseases including parkinsonism. We have assessed the clinical effects and levodopa (L-dopa) pharmacokinetics following two different doses of mucuna preparation and compared them with standard L-dopa/carbidopa (LD/CD). METHODS Eight Parkinson's disease patients ...

Mucuna pruriens is widely used in traditional medicine for treatments of various diseases. In certain region of Nigeria, the seed is used as oral prophylactics for snakebite. Rats pretreated with the aqueous extract from M. pruriens seed (MPE) were protected against the lethal effects of Naja sputatrix (Javan spitting cobra) venom [Tan et al., J Ethnopharmacol, 123 (2009) 356]. The pretreatment...

In a 3-year field study, population densities of Belonolaimus longicaudatus and other plant-parasitic nematodes and crop yields were compared between potato (Solanum tuberosum) cropping systems where either sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. arundinaceum) or velvetbean (Mucuna pruriens) was grown as a summer cover crop. Population densities of B. longicaudatus, Paratrichodorus minor, Tyle...

The protective effects of Mucuna pruriens seed extract (MPE) against the cardio-respiratory depressant and neuromuscular paralytic effects induced by injection of Calloselasma rhodostoma (Malayan pit viper) venom in anaesthetized rats were investigated. While MPE pretreatment did not reverse the inhibitory effect of the venom on the gastrocnemius muscle excitability, it significantly attenuated...

Development of green and efficient procedures for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticleshas emerged as a significant topic in the field of nanotechnology. In this respect, using naturalresources,especially plant extract has attracted lots of attention; plant extract is a promisingalternative to traditional and chemical techniques. The plant Mucuna pruriens L. contains highconcentration of L-do...

Recurrent droughts and soil degradation have had an adverse impact on food security and have increased malnutrition in Zambia. This has necessitated the promotion of conservation farming and diversification of food production. Velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens) is a crop that offers excellent soil conditioning properties and produces large quantities of beans of high protein and energy content. How...