Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae), also known as cowitch and velvet bean contains very powerful neurotransmitter precursor L-Dopa. The seeds of Mucuna pruriens accumulate 0.2%-2% L-Dopa in their dry weight. L-Dopa is an amino acid that converts into dopamine. Dopamine is an essential component of our body and it requires for the proper functioning of the brain. The seeds powder of Mucuna pruriens has ...

INTRODUCTION Protein-energy malnutrition is among the most serious problems tropical developing countries are facing today. This can be attributed mainly to the ever-increasing population as well as to the enhanced dependence on a cereal – based diet, scarcity of fertile land and degradation of natural resources [1,2]. It has been estimated that 800 million malnourished people exist in some of ...

Aqueous extracts of Mucuna pruriens seeds were tested for their activity on various pharmacological effects like lethality, phospholipase activity, edema forming activity, fibrinolytic activity and haemorrhagic activity of of cobra and krait venoms. The aqueous extract displayed a significant inhibitory effect on the lethality, phospholipase activity, edema forming activity, fibrinolytic activi...

The nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and in vivo metabolizable energy supply of Mucuna pruriens whole pods fed to growing Pelibuey lambs was investigated. Eight Pelibuey sheep housed in metabolic crates were fed increasing levels of Mucuna pruriens pods: 0 (control), 100 (Mucuna100), 200 (Mucuna200) and 300 (Mucuna300) g/kg dry matter. A quadratic (p<0.002) effect was observed for dry m...

Purpose Mucuna pruriens (mucuna) seeds contain 3-6% LDOPA, and have been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to treat diseases resembling Parkinson’s disease (PD). Pilot studies in PD show that mucuna seed powder has similar effects to conventional levodopa/carbidopa medication. Formulations of mucuna seed are readily available through the internet, and are used by some PD patients as an alt...

Mucuna pruriens is the best known natural source of L-dopa, the gold standard for treatment of Parkinsonism. M. pruriens varieties are protein rich supplements, and are used as food and fodder worldwide. Here, we report L-dopa contents in seeds of fifty six accessions of four M. pruriens varieties, M. pruriens var. pruriens, M. pruriens var. hirsuta, M. pruriens var. utilis and M. pruriens var....

Mucuna pruriens Linn. is an important medicinal plant used for treatment of Parkinson's disease and many others in ancient Indian medical system. L-DOPA extracted from seeds of Mucuna is a constituent of more than 200 indigenous drug formulations and is more effective as drug than the synthetic counterpart. A densitometric high performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed...

Plants have been used as medicine for the treatment of diseases for thousands of years. These herbal remedies, although natural, can cause some serious damaging effects on the vital organs of the body due to inadequacy in standardization and safety regulations. Mucuna pruriens Linn. belongs to family Fabaceae and is used traditionally in various ailments. The present study reports the acute sys...

Mucuna pruriens is used extensively for its medicinal value for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Nigeria. This study investigated the anti-diabetic activity of Mucuna pruriens on the blood glucose levels and the histopathology of the pancreas. To achieve this, Acute toxicity studies of the plant extract was determined. Doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg bw of the extract were administered ora...

Chronic treatment with levodopa (LD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) can cause drug induced dyskinesias. Mucuna pruriens endocarp powder (MPEP) contains several compounds including natural LD and has been reported to not cause drug-induced dyskinesias. We evaluated the effects of Mucuna pruriens to determine if its underlying mechanistic actions are exclusively due to LD. We first compared MPEP wit...