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Mucuna Pruriens Side Effects

Mucuna pruriens is a botanical supplement used in Ayurvedic Indian medicine to treat a host of medical conditions, including Parkinson's disease. Those who market and sell mucuna pruriens products also claim it has additional properties that affect sexual libido, fertility and human growth.

  1. What is Mucuna Pruriens?

    • Mucuna pruriens, also called "cowitch" and "cowhage," is a genus of the velvetbean, a legume originally grown in China and some parts of India as a vegetable crop. It was also grown in parts of the Himalayas and in Mauritus, where the pods and mature beans were boiled and consumed. Mucuna pruriens is still cultivated in India as a "famine food," and in Guatemala and Mexico, it is sometimes used as a substitute for coffee. Mucuna pruriens is resistant to drought and can be grown in poor soil. It contains the toxic compound levdopa (L-dopa), as well as hallucinogenics and anti-nutritionals, which make it impervious to insects.

    Toxicity to Humans

    • Mucuna pruriens beans contain a high concentration of L-dopa, and in fact, the velvetbean is used as a source from which to derive L-dopa for treating patients with Parkinson's disease. However, it can also cause intestinal distress and a befuddled state of mind in humans when consumed in large quantities. In 1977, mass psychosis broke out in Mozambique when water used to cook the beans was reused and consumed.

    Parkinson's Disease

    • In 2004, researchers at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London conducted a study on the effect the L-dopa in mucuna pruriens had on patients with Parkinson's disease. Eight patients participated in a controlled, double-blind crossover trial and were provided the L-dopa from the mucuna preparation and standard L-dopa/carbidopa (LD/CD). Researchers concluded that the L-dopa from the mucuna pruriens acted more quickly and decreased dyskinesia (the presence of involuntary movements) for a longer period of time, leading them to believe that it had certain advantages in long-term treatment of Parkinson's disease.

    Aphrodisiac

    • Those who sell mucuna pruriens as a dietary supplement purport that it increases sexual performance and boosts libido, although there is no research to support these claims. Additionally, mucuna pruriens purportedly permits males to sustain sexual activity for longer periods of time, delaying premature ejaculation. This is because mucuna pruriens has central depressant qualities that result in decreased sensitivity of the genital area. Unsubstantiated claims have been made that mucuna pruriens increases testosterone levels, leading to higher sperm count and increased testicle size.

    Other Health Claims

    • Mucuna pruriens claims to stimulate growth hormones that result in increased muscle growth. It purportedly also helps the body burn fat.

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