Mucuna pruriens
Supplement-wise, 5g of Mucuna Prurients 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.
Get the latest information on 400+ supplements and their effects on 500+ health outcomes.
By becoming an Examine Plus member, you'll have access to all of the latest nutrition research. Quickly and easy look up evidence on over 400 supplements across over 500 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more.
Human Effect Matrix
The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what effects mucuna pruriens has on your body, and how strong these effects are.
| Grade | Level of Evidence [show legend] |
|---|---|
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Minor
|
Very High See all 3 studies |
There appears to be an increase in seminal quality and oxidative parameters following 3-month ingestion of Mucuna pruriens, which is thought to be secondary to correcting the hypothalamic-pituitary-testes axis
|
|
|
|
Notable
|
Very High See all 3 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
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
The decrease in adrenaline seen in infertility is normalized with mucuna
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
In chronically stressed men, prolonged ingestion of mucuna pruriens appears to be able to reduce cortisol concentrations
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
The reduction in noradrenaline levels seen in infertility is normalized following mucuna ingestion
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
Very High See 2 studies |
A decrease in prolactin appears to occur following Mucuna or L-DOPA ingestion
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
Very High See 2 studies |
An increase in seminal motility is observed following mucuna ingestion
|
|
|
|
Minor
|
- See study |
An increase in well being has been noted to be secondary to a reduction in cortisol
|
|
|
|
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
|
Get access to the latest nutrition research
By becoming an Examine Plus member, you'll have access to all of the latest nutrition research on over 300 supplements across over 500 different health goals, outcomes, conditions, and more.
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.
Tired of misinformation? Get unbiased info on supplements.
At Examine.com, our incentives line up with yours — getting unbiased information. It’s why we don’t sell any advertising or supplements.
Join over 250,000 people who’ve learned about effective versus overrated supplements, supplement buying tips, and how to combine supplements for safety and efficacy.
Click here to see all 51 references.
