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Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna Pruriens, or Velvet Bean, is a bean that grows from vines and is very itchy to touch due to serotonin and other substances on its surface. It is a good source of L-DOPA, and contains some other molecules that may aid the benefits of L-DOPA.

Our evidence-based analysis on mucuna pruriens features 54 unique references to scientific papers.

Wyatt Brown
Research analysis led by and reviewed by the Examine team.
Last Updated:

Summary of Mucuna pruriens

Primary information, health benefits, side effects, usage, and other important details

What is Mucuna Pruriens?

Mucuna Pruriens, or Velvet Bean, is a bean that grows from vines in several places worldwide. It has a high L-Dopa content, among various other phytochemicals, and is generally taken as an extract according to L-Dopa dose. L-Dopa is a treatment for Parkinson's disease, and researchers seek to evaluate its effects compared with pharmaceutical L-Dopa and other drugs.

What are Mucuna Pruriens's benefits?

Concerning Parkinson's disease, the preliminary research we have suggests that, when the dose is matched, Mucuna Pruriens is roughly equivalent to pharmaceutical L-Dopa for reducing general symptoms. There is a possibility that it has additional effects, but more research is needed to get an accurate sense of its efficacy.

The other main area of interest is sperm quality for infertile males. In this regard, preliminary evidence suggests it to be effective, with improvements in sperm motility and concentration being the best-substantiated effects. It is unclear how it affects fertile males, but the evidence so far suggests that it can notably improve the sperm quality of infertile males with a normal sperm count.

What are Mucuna Pruriens's side-effects and drawbacks?

Mucuna Pruriens carries the risk of the side-effects of L-Dopa, which include several gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms. In particular, Mucuna Pruriens has been found to increase nausea in a subset of participants in a trial, though other adverse events are unclear. Like other herbs, it always carries a risk of negative interactions with various medications.

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How to Take

Recommended dosage, active amounts, other details

5g of dried powder has been used with efficacy in some human studies on Parkinson's Disease and fertility. This dose or doses upwards of it should be a good starting point.

If your supplement is standardized for L-DOPA and you are supplementing for an effect attributed to L-DOPA, then start with about 1/2 the L-DOPA equivalent and work up if needed (this is due to the same amount of L-DOPA in Mucuna being more bioactive relative to isolated L-DOPA without carbidopa).

Mucuna Pruriens can be eaten isolated as a food product, but cooking is required to destroy trypsin inhibitors in the beans (so protein absorption is not hindered) yet cooking also destroys L-DOPA.

Some supplements use the cotyledon of Mucuna Pruriens, which may have different nutrient profiles relative to the bean or whole root.

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Human Effect Matrix

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The Human Effect Matrix summarizes human studies to tell you what effects Mucuna pruriens has on your body, how much evidence there is, and how strong these effects are.

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Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Outcome Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-b
Sperm Concentration
Notable Very High See all 4 studies
Several studies have found notable increases for infertile men, regardless of whether or not their sperm concentration was low at baseline.
grade-b
Sperm Quality
Notable Very High See all 4 studies
So far, trials are in agreement that there are general improvements in sperm quality, including motility, concentration, and count. All studies are limited to infertile participants and it's unclear what the effect in fertile participants would be.
grade-c
Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease
Notable Very High See all 5 studies
Possible symptoms reduction in Parkinson's Disease related to the L-DOPA content and theorized (but not proven) peripheral dopamine decarboxylase inhibitor; this is notable as a L-DOPA and carbidopa combination supplement is the reference for reducing parkinson's symptoms
grade-c
Adrenaline
Minor - See study
The decrease in adrenaline seen in infertility is normalized with mucuna
grade-c
Cortisol
Minor - See study
In chronically stressed men, prolonged ingestion of mucuna pruriens appears to be able to reduce cortisol concentrations
grade-c
Dopamine
Minor - See study
The reduction in dopamine seen in infertility seems to be reversed with L-DOPA ingestion; theoretically L-DOPA ingestion should unilaterally increase dopamine
grade-c
Noradrenaline
Minor - See study
The reduction in noradrenaline levels seen in infertility is normalized following mucuna ingestion
grade-c
Prolactin
Minor Very High See 2 studies
A decrease in prolactin appears to occur following Mucuna or L-DOPA ingestion
grade-c
Seminal Motility
Minor Very High See all 3 studies
Multiple trials in infertile participants have found improvements.
grade-c
Subjective Well-Being
Minor - See study
An increase in well being has been noted to be secondary to a reduction in cortisol
grade-c
Testosterone
Minor Very High See 2 studies
An increase in testosterone is seen in infertile men. It is unsure if this increase in testosterone occurs in fertile and otherwise healthy men
grade-d
Lipid Peroxidation
Notable - See study
One study on infertile participants. found a notable reduction.
grade-d
Sperm Count
Notable - See study
One study found considerable increases in infertile men, regardless of whether or not their baseline sperm count was normal.
grade-d
Ejaculate Volume
Minor - See study
One study found an increase normozoospermic, oligozoospermic, but not athenozoospermic participants.
grade-d
Total cholesterol
Minor - See study
One non-controlled study found an increase from baseline. More research is needed.
grade-d
Triglycerides
Minor - See study
One uncontrolled study found an increase. More research is needed.

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Things to Note

Is a Form Of

Primary Function:

Also Known As

Velvet Bean, Cowitch, Werepe, Karara, Agbara

Do Not Confuse With

Levodopa (active ingredient)

Caution Notice

Mucuna Pruriens contains L-DOPA, also known as Levodopa. This is a dopamine precursor and sometimes used as a pharmaceutical to treat Parkinson's Disease (alongside another compound known as Carbidopa)

Compounds contraindicated with Levodopa/Carbidopa treatment most likely extend to Mucuna Pruriens and should be approached with caution. This appears to be narrow-eye glaucoma suffers, those using pharmaceutical MAO inhibitors, and those who have a history of melanoma or suspicious and undiagnosed skin lesions.

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Click here to see all 54 references.

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This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

Each member of our research team is required to have no conflicts of interest, including with supplement manufacturers, food companies, and industry funders. The team includes nutrition researchers, registered dietitians, physicians, and pharmacists. We have a strict editorial process.

This page features 54 references. All factual claims are followed by specifically-applicable references. Click here to see the full set of research information and references for Mucuna pruriens.

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