More Benefits Than Conventional Levodopa
The foundations of the patent, based on the references provided, reveal that, in relation to standard levodopa-carbidopa medications or levodopa-benserazide , the extracts of Mucuna have important advantages that confirm those listed in the previous chapter.
Mucuna has a wider therapeutic window: the range of dosage in which a drug can be used without causing toxic effects. That means that there is a large margin between the minimally effective dose of Mucuna and one that could cause damage in the body.
Patients get better sooner with it. Researchers gave patients a tablet of Sinemet, and they noticed the on effect after 54 minutes. But when they took Mucuna , they were already active after only 2327 minutes . In addition to being quick-acting, Mucuna has been found to be effective for longer durations: patients were still on for 204 minutes after taking the seed extract, beating Sinemet tablet by half an hour .
Neither acute nor chronic toxic effects have been described. Even with high doses of Mucuna , there were less adverse effects than in patients who received the equivalent of the conventional drugs . Other long-term studies of Mucuna have shown that the dreaded dyskinesia and other symptoms associated with continuous treatment with levodopa are lower and in some cases even tend to improve .
What Is Mucuna Pruriens
MP, also referred to as the velvet bean, is a legume that grows in tropical and subtropical areas across the world including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. Although the beans can be used as a source of food after they are boiled, MP is also a medicinal plant, used for millennia in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine, for a variety of conditions. MP has been investigated for its anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-epileptic, and anti-depressant properties, to name a few.
Because it contains 6-9% levodopa by weight however, one of its main medicinal uses is to counteract parkinsonian symptoms. It is important however to understand more about this potential remedy including its shortcomings before jumping on the MP bandwagon.
Absorb Health Mucuna Pruriens
Absorb Health Mucuna Pruriens offers a high dosage per capsule. It is made free from cutting agents, and it is backed with a satisfaction guarantee from the company.
Specs
- Doesnt show L-DOPA content
- Pricy
Who Makes It?
Absorb Health is a newer supplement brand, founded in 2011, that focused on natural health methods. The company is dedicated to providing high quality and affordable products to its consumers.
Bottom Line
Though this product is free from cutting agents, supported by a money-back guarantee and offers a good Mucuna Pruriens dosage, it has an unknown L-DOPA content. It is also a bit more expensive than others.
| Where to Get It |
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Medications For Mental Conditions Interacts With Cowhage
Cowhage seems to increase a chemical in the brain called dopamine. Some medications for mental conditions help to decrease dopamine. Taking cowhage along with some medications for mental conditions might decrease the effectiveness of some medications for mental conditions.Some medications for mental conditions include chlorpromazine , clozapine , fluphenazine , haloperidol , olanzapine , perphenazine , prochlorperazine , quetiapine , risperidone , thioridazine , thiothixene , and others.
The History Of Mucuna Pruriens And Parkinson’s
While the study of Mucuna pruriens has only recently become more prevalent in scientific circles, its use for aiding Parkinson’s disease therapy has been known for centuries. Historical texts have record Parkinson’s and Mucuna pruriens as early as 300 BC. Current research is validating ancient claims and studies consistently report L. dopa concentrations of 4-6%. Mucuna pruriens is just one of several therapies popular in India, China, and the Amazon for Parkinson’s disease.
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Are There Any Side Effects Of Mucuna Pruriens
A large double-blind study pointed out that when taking 15 to 30 grams of Mucuna pruriens powder during a 12 to 20-week course, there were no obvious adverse reactions.
However, possible side effects that have been reported include nausea, bloating and vomiting, thirst, dyskinesia, insomnia, headache, rapid heartbeat, confusion, restlessness, hallucinations, and delusions .
Other Plants That Contain Levodopa
It was thought that levodopa was only present in Mucuna , but it can also be found, although less concentrated, in plants like Phanera, Cassia, Pileostigma, Canavalia, Dalbergia, etc.15 This extends the horizon for new therapies.
However the differences among these are striking. It has been well known for a long time that beans contain natural levodopa, although in small quantities, and may improve some parkinsonian symptoms. Our beans, when they are green, including pod and seeds, contain 0.6% concentration of levodopa.
The whole fruit of Mucuna pruriens, contains a concentration of 4.02 %, and if you select the white variant of its seed, it contains 6.08 % levodopa .
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Knowing Your Beans In Parkinsons Disease: A Critical Assessment Of Current Knowledge About Different Beans And Their Compounds In The Treatment Of Parkinsons Disease And In Animal Models
Michel Rijntjes
1Dept. of Neurology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Abstract
This review contains a critical appraisal of current knowledge about the use of beans in both animal models and patients with Parkinsons disease . The potential beneficial effects of beans in PD are increasingly being touted, not only in scientific journals but also by the lay media. While there is a long tradition in Ayurvedic medicine of prescribing extracts from Mucuna pruriens , whose seeds contain 5% L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanin , many other beans also contain L-DOPA or have other ingredients that may benefit PD patients. Indeed, bean-derived compounds can elicit neuroprotective effects in animal models of PD, while several studies in human PD patients have shown that motor performance can improve after ingestion of bean extracts. However, there are several arguments countering the view that beans serve as a natural therapy for PD: the results from animal PD models are not necessarily directly applicable to humans beans have many bioactive ingredients, some of which can be harmful in large doses studies in human PD patients are scarce and only report on the effects of single doses or the administration of bean extract over short periods of time and no data on long-term efficacy or side effects of bean therapy are available. Therefore, reservations about the use of beans as a natural therapy for PD seem to be justified.
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.2. Vicia faba
The History Of Mucuna Pruriens And Parkinsons
While the study of Mucuna pruriens has only recently become more prevalent in scientific circles, its use for aiding Parkinsons disease therapy has been known for centuries. Historical texts have record Parkinsons and Mucuna pruriens as early as 300 BC. Current research is validating ancient claims and studies consistently report L. dopa concentrations of 4-6%. Mucuna pruriens is just one of several therapies popular in India, China, and the Amazon for Parkinsons disease.
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Exploring Alternative Therapies For Parkinsons Disease
Because no two Parkinsons disease patients are alike, a Michigan Medicine neurologist encourages patients to consider conventional and alternative treatment options.
When Michigan Medicine neurologist Chauncey Spears, M.D., speaks to his patients with Parkinsons disease, he likes to make one thing clear: No two patients with Parkinsons disease are exactly alike.
There may very well be similarities between given patients, but every patient is unique, he says. Everybody is very different in their overall needs, as well as in their responses to treatments and medications.
For this reason, when it comes to the topic of alternative therapies for treating Parkinsons disease, Spears believes that patients are the best educators. There may be that one patient on the Internet who responds remarkably well to marijuana, but that may not be the case for the next person, he says.
Spears also wants to clear the air on how he views alternative therapies: Not as a last resort for PD patients, but as a diverse group of medical therapies, interventions, treatments, practices or products that dont fall under the category of conventional Western treatment practices.
Too often, patients believe that alternative therapies are a doctors way of saying, We’ve exhausted all conventional measures. One last desperate option is to put you on an alternative medicine.
This, he says, is not the case.
Source Naturals Mucuna Dopa
Specs
- Free from additives, preservatives, and fillers
- Unknown L-DOPA content
Who Makes It?
MicroIngredients is a USDA organic supplement brand that creates pure powders from raw supplement ingredients using state of the art technology. The supplement powders dont lose flavor or nutritional value through the process.
Bottom Line
This is a good Mucuna Pruriens supplement powder and offers high quality, USDA organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free supplement. However, it has an unknown L-DOPA content.
| Where to Get It |
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For Your Peace Of Mind
Certain research groups would imply that that these pharmacological effects could possibly be due to the presence of an amino acid known as L- Dopa or Levodopa that is present in Mucuna. L- Dopa is a precursor of the neurotransmitter Dopamine, the motivation molecule. Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter in the brain, which plays various important roles in the brain and body . It is heavily involved with attention span, motor movements and our ability to experience pleasure. Our Dopamine content in the brain can drop due to different factors for example, complications with certain receptors in the brain or with the instrumental process that produces adequate amounts of it. But essentially, the dopamine content in brain tissue is reduced when the conversion of tyrosine to L- Dopa is blocked.
Atents Of Extracts Of Mucuna
The proprietaries over certain techniques of Mucuna extractsWO 2004039385-A2 and US 7470441-B2 are very prestigious researchers. They have developed specific techniques to extract various substances from Mucuna , not only levodopa. As they have detailed, many of the ingredients are indicated for preventing, alleviating or treating neurological diseases, for general use as a pharmaceutical combination for neuroprotection or neurostimulation, and, more specifically, for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. They have left little to no chance.
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Price Should Not Matter At The Beginning
The price of mucuna, while not expensive, can be too much for some. That should be considered in the long-term as it could be in use for many months or years.
However, at first, the price does not matter much because the goal is to establish the dose for each patient. The main advice I give is to buy a product from a trusted brand and start with very low doses to be increased later. In this first stage the daily cost will be minimal because the doses are low and the tablets or capsules have low concentrations of levodopa.
The important thing is to know if you feel better with mucuna. At this stage you should not buy any foreign preparation from distant countries through unknown sellers on eBay. Later, when we find the dose that fits a particular patient, then we can ultimately plan a more affordable product once we make sure that it is trustworthy.
Frontiers In Aging Neuroscience
University of Florida, United States
Reviewed by
University of Missouri, United States
The editor and reviewers’ affiliations are the latest provided on their Loop research profiles and may not reflect their situation at the time of review.
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Furry Bean Growing In The Tropics
Mucuna pruriens is a kind of hairy or furry bean, native to Southeast Asia, especially the plains of India, but also widely distributed in tropical regions of Africa and the Americas .
The wide dissemination of the plant explains its variety of names, depending on the location: velvet beans, cowhage, itch bean, picapica, Fogareté, Kapikachu, sea bean, deer eyes, yerepe, Atmagupta, nescafe, chiporazo.
I Tried The Dopamine Bean Supplement To Get Happy And Heres What Happened
News flash: I suffer from depression. So, when I noticed a supplement called Mucuna pruriens trending on the internetâfrom whence I get all my medical adviceâthat promised to naturally boost mood, energy and sex drive , I snagged some immediately . Here’s what happened when I began to add a dash of the so-called dopamine bean to my coffee each morning.
I’m not one to fall for the placebo effect, and in fact I tend to be dubious of everything LA girls are obsessed with when it comes to the weird and wonderful world of wellness. I think I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but it was recently suggested to me that I steam my swimsuit areas in order to alleviate PMS. Girl … just no. I don’t pay $20 for a smoothie I could make at home for $5, I don’t take 500 vitamins a day to manage all the various issues I never knew I had, and I do eat macaroni and cheese for basically every other meal. So, I’m not truly expecting the dopamine bean to work for me or, really, for anyone. I imagine the women I’ve read reviews by are experiencing what I like to call the “vaginal-steaming placebo effect.” In other words, I figure any results are all in their heads.
What’s more, my horrifically bad PMS disintegrates, so much so that I recommend the bean to another friend who similarly suffers. It’s a true, Moon Juiceâenabled miracle!
Oh, and maybe steer clear of the poker table.
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Mucuna Pruriens Has Anti
A major depressive disorder is a disabling mental disorder with a complex etiology that involves the interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
In addition to core symptoms such as depression, loss of interest, despair, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, suicidal ideation, or suicidal behavior, many patients also have psychological symptoms such as cognitive impairment and anxiety.
At present, antidepressants are the most common form of treatment for major depression, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are the most commonly prescribed drugs.
However, according to recent efficacy trials, only 42% to 46% of patients with depression who received the first step of SSRIs treatment were relieved.
An animal study pointed out that Mucuna pruriens extract can be mediated through the interaction with the dopaminergic system to produce a special antidepressant effect in acute and chronic depression models.
*Conclusion: Animal studies have found that Mucuna pruriens may have anti-depressant effects, but human studies still need to be further verified.
The Seeds Are Cooked In Cows Milk
In an interesting clinical trial, 18 Parkinsons disease patients were treated according to the criteria of Ayurvedic medicine. They received a concoction of powder of Mucuna pruriens cooked in cows milk along with other traditional plants .
The results found that this treatment improved rigidity and bradykinesia tremor was diminished and cramps subsided however, sialorrhea worsened. Later, the powder of plants which had been added to the milk was analyzed, and it was found that each dose used contains 200 mg of levodopa .
The Hindu Mucuna extract contains a small amount of levodopa that fails to justify the significant clinical improvement of parkinsonian symptoms. This suggests that in the Mucuna , there are other substances that enhance the role of levodopa or other active ingredients with antiparkinsonian effects .
One important thing is guaranteed by Ayurveda: after thousands of years of using these plant extracts, thousands or millions of patients have continued to improve their symptoms without significant adverse effects.
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Most Doctors Are Skeptics
Many patients complain of the disdainful reaction they encounter when they ask their doctors about adding Mucuna to their treatment regimen. As it is an unorthodox therapy, it is perfectly understandable that the physician does not want to prescribe Mucuna : it is not part of the generally accepted body of treatments they are trained to manage. When a doctor decides to incorporate Mucuna , he faces new difficulties, particularly with patients treated with other drugs. This requires the additional effort of studying the situation and designing a strategy for each individual case.
On the other hand, we cannot allow patients to treat themselves in hiding. Therefore, it is desirable that as doctors, we have to educate ourselves about Mucuna so that we can choose to use it or not in a particular type of patient. One should never despise the unfamiliar. After studying the properties of Mucuna and weighing its advantages and disadvantages, we should decide on a rational basis whether it is beneficial, neutral, or inadvisable for a specific case.
If the patient perceives that we master the subject, he will entrust his care to us, rather than attempting to treat himself. That way, he will cooperate if we ban the Mucuna or recommend a gradual dosage pattern. We earn their trust when we have enough information and credibility.
Strategies To Enhance Levodopa
Trials have been conducted in which Mucuna seeds are germinated in darkness or in different conditions of light and providing varied nutrients . Results showed that by adding oregano to seeds germinated in darkness, Mucuna sprouts containing 33% more levodopa have been obtained . Other researchers selected some cells from the ground and then grew them grow in a medium that allows nutrients to be supplied in this way they have managed successfully to increase the concentration of levodopa .
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Icipants And Eligibility Criteria
Patients with idiopathic PD according to UK Brain Bank criteria were recruited in Santa Cruz by a local neurologist trained in the administration of the instruments used. Eligibility included sustained response to levodopa and presence of motor fluctuations for at least 1 h/d during waking hours associated with dyskinesias . Patients were on stable antiparkinsonian therapy for at least 30 days before recruitment. Exclusion criteria were signs of cognitive impairment limiting the ability to provide written informed consent clinically significant psychiatric illness Hoehn & Yahr stage 5/5 severe unstable medical conditions and pregnancy.