Mucuna Pruriens
Where in the world? Mucuna pruriens, also known as velvet bean or cowhage, is a legume that grows in the […]
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Where in the world?
Mucuna pruriens, also known as velvet bean or cowhage, is a legume that grows in the wild in tropical regions, including India and the Bahamas. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times for the treatment of various conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The beans of Mucuna pruriens contain a high percentage of levodopa, which is the precursor to dopamine. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a deficiency of dopamine in the brain due to the degeneration of dopamine-producing nerve cells in a deep brain region called the substantia nigra.
Medicinal
Before the commercial synthesis of levodopa from vanillin (the active compound in vanilla), Mucuna was investigated as a potential source of the medication, with efforts to increase the yield of levodopa from the seeds and leaves. The action of Mucuna pruriens is similar to the synthetic form of levodopa, but it is believed to work faster and may have additional protective and regenerative properties.
Bioactivity
The velvet bean contains proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, and fibers. It also contains several bioactive compounds, including levodopa, norepinephrine, coenzyme Q10, glutathione, and trypsin. Levodopa is the most prominent compound and serves as a precursor to dopamine. Dopamine is an essential neurotransmitter involved in motor control, mood regulation, sexuality, sleep, cognition, behavior, and motivation. A deficiency of dopamine leads to disrupted motor movements, stiffness, tremors, and slow movement, which are the symptoms seen in Parkinson’s disease.
Usage
Mucuna pruriens is used orally for various conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, arthritis, hyperprolactinemia, and parasitic infections. It is also used for pain, fever, inducing vomiting, and improving libido. Mucuna is sometimes used preventively as a snakebite remedy.
Topically, Mucuna pruriens is used for reducing skin redness and as a counter-irritant for pain, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle aches, stimulating blood flow to the skin in paralytic conditions, and treating scorpion stings.
L-Dopa
The active parts of Mucuna pruriens are the beans or seeds and the hair on the seed coat. Mucuna contains a significant amount of levodopa (L-dopa), with the whole bean typically containing about 3% to 7% L-dopa. The inner layer (endocarp) of the pericarp, which has been studied in Parkinson’s disease patients, usually contains the highest concentration of L-dopa, approximately 5.3%. Mucuna seeds are also known for their high protein content (20% to 29%), carbohydrates (50% to 61%), and mineral content. The seeds also contain smaller amounts of ash, fibers, crude lipid, lysine, and trypsin. However, due to the presence of phenolics, tannins, alkaloids, L-dopa, lectins, trypsin inhibitors, and protease inhibitors, Mucuna seeds may have limited nutritional value unless processed correctly.
Mucuna in blood
Mucuna has been studied for its potential antidiabetic effects, showing the ability to lower blood sugar levels and possibly slow the development of diabetic nephropathy. It contains significant amounts of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper. Some researchers speculate that Mucuna may exert its hypoglycemic effects by stimulating insulin trace elements or through orally active insulin-like compounds in Mucuna.
In vitro studies have shown that extracts of Mucuna pruriens have anthelmintic effects, meaning they have the ability to kill or expel parasitic worms.
Antimicrobial effects
Some in vitro studies show that methanolic extracts of Mucuna pruriens leaves have mild antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria (94723).
Antioxidant effects
In vitro evidence suggests that extracts of Mucuna pruriens may have antioxidant activity.
Antivenom activity
There is interest in the use of Mucuna pruriens for snakebite. Mucuna extract appears to have a procoagulant effect against the venom of the saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) when given at least 24 hours before exposure to the venom .
Counterirritant properties
Mucuna pruriens has counterirritant and redness properties . The hairs (spicules) of the pod or seed cause severe itching, burning, and inflammation when they penetrate the epidermis. Serotonin and protein components such as mucunain are released in the skin, causing dilation of blood vessels, redness, and inflammation. Repeated boiling of the bean is sometimes used to eliminate the pharmacologically and toxicologically active principles, allowing the bean to be consumed as food .
Dopaminergic effects
Mucuna pruriens seeds contain 3% to 7% levodopa. Clinical research shows that Mucuna increases serum levodopa concentrations in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Inhibitory effect on prolactin secretion
Preliminary clinical research indicates that Mucuna may inhibit prolactin secretion.
Safety
Possibly safe
When used orally and appropriately. Powdered formulations of Mucuna Pruriens are used safely for up to 20 weeks.
Possibly safe
When the hair of the velvet bean is used orally or topically. The bean pods are highly irritating and can cause severe itching, burning, and inflammation.
Pregnancy and lactation
There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of Mucuna pruriens during pregnancy and lactation; avoid use.
Effectiveness
Hyperprolactinemia
Hyperprolactinemia. There is evidence that Mucuna pruriens may be useful for chlorpromazine-induced hyperprolactinemia in men, but it does not appear to be effective for hyperprolactinemia of unknown cause in women.
Parkinson’s disease
Mucuna pruriens contains 3% to 7% levodopa. A specific powdered extract of Mucuna standardized to 3.3 percent levodopa (Zandopa, formerly HP-200; Zandu Pharmaceuticals), as well as other powdered formulations delivering daily levodopa 75-400 mg, are used in combination with conventional drugs such as amantadine, selegiline, and anticholinergics for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Preliminary clinical research indicates that taking standardized Mucuna may be equally effective in increasing levodopa concentration as taking levodopa in combination with a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor such as carbidopa or benserazide. The use of Mucuna pruriens as a single-dose of levodopa 1000 mg or 17.5 mg/kg resulted in faster onset, longer duration of action, higher drug levels, and greater improvement in motor symptoms compared
to 200 mg or 3.5 mg/kg conventional levodopa in combination with carbidopa or benserazide.
Side effects
Orally, Mucuna appears to be reasonably well-tolerated. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal in nature (see also Gastrointestinal). Other rare side effects including headache, palpitations, sweating, flatulence, diarrhea, dry mouth, rash, itching, changes in urine color, and symptoms of psychosis have been reported. Theoretically, Mucuna pruriens, due to its levodopa (L-dopa) component, is likely to cause the same side effects attributed to purified L-dopa prescription drugs. Some of these side effects may include elevated liver enzymes, respiratory disorders, urinary retention, darkening of body fluids, muscle cramps, headache, and priapism. However, these effects have not been reported for Mucuna pruriens but should be considered as a possibility. Ingestion of hairs from the pod or seed can cause significant irritation of the mucous membranes and should be avoided.
Topically, the hairs or seed of Mucuna pruriens can cause severe itching, burning, inflammation, and erythematous macular rash.
Dermatological
Orally, ingestion of hairs from the pod or seed can cause significant irritation of the mucous membranes and should be avoided.
Topically, the hairs or seed can cause severe itching. Symptoms include severe itching, burning, inflammation, and erythematous macular rash. Symptoms resolve spontaneously within a few hours but can also be relieved with antihistamines. The hairs can be removed by washing the skin, but the hairs can also be retained and transferred to other individuals, fabrics, and carpets. Clothing and other materials coming into contact with Mucuna hairs should also be thoroughly washed.
Gastrointestinal
Orally, a specific powdered extract of Mucuna pruriens (Zandopa, formerly HP-200; Zandu Pharmaceuticals) has been reported to cause nausea, bloating, and vomiting in clinical research when taken in amounts of 22.5-67.5 grams divided into 2-5 doses per day.
Musculoskeletal
Orally, dyskinesia (involuntary movements) has been reported in clinical research in approximately 3% of patients taking a specific powdered extract of Mucuna pruriens seeds (Zandopa, formerly HP-200; Zandu Pharmaceuticals) at doses of 22.5-67.5 grams divided into 2-5 doses per day.
Neurological
Orally, insomnia has been reported in clinical research in approximately 3 percent of patients taking a specific powdered extract of Mucuna pruriens seeds (Zandopa, formerly HP-200; Zandu Pharmaceuticals, Bombay, India) at doses of 22.5 grams to 67.5 grams divided into 2 to 5 doses per day.
Psychiatric
In a case report, Mucuna pruriens caused an outbreak of acute toxic psychosis. Symptoms of psychosis included confusion, dizziness, excitement, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. The psychosis induced by Mucuna was successfully treated with intravenous chlorpromazine (Thorazine).
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