Mucuna Seeds

Mucuna pruriens is an annual flowering shrub native to tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The plant - which can grow vines over 15 meters in length - produces small black seeds that have several other medicinal uses. The plant is also widely used in agriculture as shifting cultivation, as legumes (EI nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live on its roots that allow re-fertilize the soil).

Mucuna pruriens has many common names in many different languages. In English it is called Velvet Bean, or Cowhage Cowitch. Many names of the plant refer to small stinging hairs that grow in pods. These hairs, which contain a compound called mucanain, can produce a severe dermatitis and painful if they are allowed to come into contact with the skin. Other names refer to the plant's psychoactive properties - in Portuguese, for example, it is known as' Mad Bean ".

Mucuna seeds contain a high concentration of the dopamine precursor levodopa. Dopamine is of course a neurotransmitter associated with mood and concentration is known to have a direct effect on physical processes such as sexual desire, libido and function. For this reason, extracts of Mucuna pruriens has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as a potent aphrodisiac. More recently, attention, his statements were given as a possible solution to treat the symptoms of nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and parts of the world (including India), has already been used to treat this state for some time.

The seeds also contain small amounts of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is also responsible for influencing the mood. It is thought that Mucuna is mild anti-depressants.

While the plant grows wild in many tropical and subtropical countries, and its seeds are widely available, it is very important that people do Mucana pruriens extract which has been produced by qualified herbalists or approved pharmaceutical and naturaceutical done at the proper dosage and concentration. Levodopa active ingredient can be toxic in large quantities, and it is therefore not recommended that people self-medicate with its extract.

M. pruriens extract is not commonly sold on its own, but normally forms part of a mixture of plant extracts and is used in many fields of herbal medicine. Its main uses are as an aphrodisiac, libido enhancer for men and increasing male fertility, but because of its impact on dopamine levels, it is also commonly found in products designed to help people relax and products designed to help naturally promotes healthy eye sight