MUCUNA PRURIENS

Common name: Velvet bean, Cowitch, Cowhage, Kapikachu, Nescafe, Sea bean • Hindi: Kiwach •Marathi: खाज कुइरी Khaj-kuiri • Malayalam: Naicorna • Nepali: काउसो Kauso • Telugu: Pilliadugu •Kannada: Nayisonanguballi • Bengali: Akolchi • Tamil: Punaippidukkan

Botanical name:   Mucuna pruriens    

Family: Fabaceae (bean family)

Introduction: Velvet bean is an annual, climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 m. Leaves are trifoliate, gray-silky beneath; petioles are long and silky, 6-11 cm. Leaflets are membranous, terminal leaflets are smaller, lateral very unequal sided. Dark purple flowers (6 to 30) occur in drooping racemes. Fruits are curved, 4-6 seeded. The longitudinally ribbed pod, is densely covered with loose orange hairs which cause a severe itch if they come in contact with skin. The beans are shiny black or brown. It is found in tropical Africa, India and the Caribbean.

Medicinal uses:   Velvet bean can be beneficial, since it is high in levodopa which helps maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The seed powder of Mucuna pruriens has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine for diseases including parkinsonism, and has proven in medical tests to have equal or superior effectiveness in the treatment of parkinsons disease over conventional, synthetic levodopa medications. Another benefit of Mucuna is that it can increase the production of human growth hormone, and extracts are commonly sold as body-building supplements.

Chemical Constituents: M. pruriens seeds contain high concentrations of LDOPA, an unusual non protein amino acid and a direct precursor to the neuro transmitter dopamine, an important brain chemical involved in mood, sexuality and movement. Besides, it also contains some other amino acids, glutathione, lecithin, gallic acid and beta sitosterol. The mature seeds of the plant contain about 3.1 to 6.1% L-DOPA, with trace amounts of 5-hydroxy tryptamine (serotonin), nicotine, dimethyl tryptamine (DMT), bufotenine, 5-MeO-DMT and beta-carboline. The leaves contain about 0.5% L-DOPA, 0.006% dimethyl tryptamine and 0.0025% 5-MeO-DMT.

Medicinal Uses: All parts of Mucuna possess valuable medicinal properties. It is used against a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract, neurological and menstruation disorders, constipation, edema, fever, tuberculosis, ulcers, PD and helminthiases like elephantiasis (Oudhia, 2002).

Traditionally, the powdered seeds of M. pruriens was found to increase the general mating behavior and thereby sexual activity in rats. Roots, according to the Ayurveda, are bitter, thermogenic, anthelmintic, diuretic, emollient, stimulant, aphrodisiac, purgative, febrifuge, and tonic. It is considered useful to relieve constipation, nephropathy, dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea, elephantiasis, dropsy, neuropathy, ulcers, helminthiasis, fever and delirum.