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Rick (Knoxville, Tn) on 06/20/2009

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical bean and is a natural source of dopamine. Dopamine is intimately connected to arousal. It is also the critical brain chemical in Parkinson's Disease, a disorder that I have dealt with for 17 years.

A group of we PWP were experimenting with the use of Muruna last year and I can attest to its effects upon male libido. But, let's face it, a good glass of tap water can qualify for many men.

What was unusual, however, was that women reported similar effects. As one of the first to notice commented, "I knew something was up when my ex- started loooking good!"

I can't suggest a dosage since the PD has an independent effect that would make such info irrelevant, so you will have to do some trial and error. It can be ordered as a raw powder via Amazon. Since mentioning a specific brand is discouraged here, I will only say that the excellent product which I used was grown in the US, was organic, and was only about $10 to $15 per pound. One caution, the powder is an incredible black stain once it is wet. The only thing that takes it off of enameled steel is oxyclean type remover.

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Replied by Jane from Fort Worth, Texas on 06/22/2009

I have read about this but have not gotten any yet. I will check into it more. I am not very knowledgeable about all the possible supplements that will help him, but I am slowly learning. My time is very divided and I wish I had more time to delve into learning more. One thing is we have tried supplements and observe for benefits or any negative side effects. This is how we have been adding and taking away supplements to best meet his needs as we learn.

It appears to me that the cause of my father's symptoms are toxins in his body and now brain injury from the strokes. Also most probably fungus is involved. He had pesticide exposure and we have more reasons to believe his problems began with toxic exposure, probably multiple toxins.

Thanks for your post. I appreciate any comments and helpful information.

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Replied by Ron from New Mexico on 11/06/2017

I have taken Macuna since 2009. I find it to be very valuable. Have never taken a specific PD pharmaceutical, and won't. The side effects are far too dramatic. Macuna has no negative side effects.
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Replied by Art from California on 11/07/2017

In reply to Ron (New Mexico),

That is great that the MP is working for you! Can you give details on your entire protocol (dose & timing) and what benefits you are getting? Thank you!

Art

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Replied by Emma from New Zealand on 01/22/2021

I was interested in reading about people taking Mucuna (velvet bean) for Parkinsons. Would love to know what doses others take. I have been taking it for about 18 months as I want to avoid prescription drugs.
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Replied by Art from California on 01/23/2021

Hi Emma,

The dosing for Mucuna Pruriens(MP), like Levodopa, is very individualized and will vary considerably from person to person. People wonder what is the attraction of MP over prescription Levodopa/Carbidopa since MP has as one of its main components, Levodopa and the truth is that some people just prefer what they consider a more natural approach of using a natural plant over a prescription drug. While it is true that they both contain Levodopa, but Levodopa on its own can increase oxidative stress in the brain which can then increase neuroinflammation and in the long run this is likely to be counterproductive for people with Parkinson's (PwP) as they are already suffering with elevated oxidative stress levels and elevated neuroinflammation which have been shown to increase disease progression.

What MP has that makes it possibly more effective than Levodopa is other useful components which have shown the ability to lower oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. These other components include quercetin, Betulinic Acid, Ursolic Acid, CoQ-10, NADH and more which have shown the ability to lower oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. This is very important for PwP and Levodopa alone has none of these other attributes that MP has.

You may be wondering what MP can do compared to levodopa in PwP that is different. In PwP studies, MP can significantly reduce onset of action significantly which is important because many PwP complain that it can take an hour or more to take effect while MP takes effect significantly faster probably due to the other active components in it as mentioned above. That effect alone may make it worth it for some PwP to consider MP. Another benefit of MP over levodopa alone is increased "on time" of 21.9%! Levodopa is a single component prescription drug and can not offer these other benefits of MP! Increased "on time", equates to decreased "off time and what PwP wouldn't want that?

One study went so far as to suggest that MP, "protects or prevents the progression of the disease".

On a related note, I will be posting about this in more detail soon, here on EC! I am of the opinion that a combination of levodopa and MP maybe the best of both worlds as multiple Levodopa products also contain Carbidopa or Benserazide to control levodopa breakdown before it reaches the brain and I believe it also helps prevent conversion of levodopa to dopamine outside of the brain and this is very important because dopamine can not cross the blood brain barrier.

Art

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Replied by Jason from Mount Vernon NY on 07/04/2022

Your post is from 2017. How are you doing now? Was the Mucuna Prurien beneficial for over the 5 years you been on it?
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Replied by Art from Caliufornia on 07/05/2022

Jason,

You are replying to a post that is 5 years old in which case the original writer is not likely to reply. I will try and give you a little information to give you and idea about what is involved with the use of MP.

Regarding MP, in a couple of studies it has shown to have similar to slightly better effects than prescription levodopa products. It also does not cause the oxidative stress that levodopa has shown in studies to cause. It also offers other health benefits. Those are some of the positives.

On the negative side, it takes huge doses of pure MP to equate to Sinemet dosing and such huge doses have the potential to cause stomach upset and are hard to take.

Manufacturers are aware of this issue and decided to make "extract versions" of MP so that a smaller, more tolerable dose can be taken. But even with extract versions, it still requires relatively large doses. One problem with the most potent extract versions is that they are essentially levodopa with little if any of the beneficial components that pure MP contains. So you don't really get any of the beneficial effects of the MP.

What some PwP do, is combine a lesser dose of Sinemet or other levodopa based drug with an extract version of MP in order to get the added benefits associated with the use of MP in conjunction with the stability and uniformity of a drug like Sinemet or Madopar. I think this is what you will find once you have done research into MP in all of its many forms.

A common form of MP extract that some PwP find benefit with is Dopa Boost :

https://www.amazon.com/Designs-Health-DopaBoost-Dopamine-Pruriens/dp/B004LKVDR4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2W9DQKYEEG87Y&keywords=dopa+boost+supplement&qid=1657052407&sprefix=dopa+boost,aps,213&sr=8-5

This is an interesting product that combines MP extract with other supplements that have shown benefit for PwP. It also uses EGCG, the active component from green tea to act similarly to the Carbidopa component of the combination drug Sinemet which is comprised of Carbidopa and Levodopa. It also contains other PD useful supplements such as N Acetyl L-Tyrosine, vitamin B6 and Quercetin.

PwP use Dopa Boost with a levodopa drug like Sinemet. Sounds simple, right? Not that simple though because, in general, neurologists and movement disorder specialist are not going to be familiar with MP or a product such as Dopa Boost, and this means they will not be able to help you determine an ideal dose combination between your prescription levodopa and your non prescription MP product.

This means you will be on your own to figure out the most effective dosing of both products for you. Even if you find someone that has already done the leg work to figure out through trial and error what their best dosing schedule is for the combination of MP extract and levodopa drug is, you will only be able to use their information as a rough guideline and you will still have to fine tune your dose to meet your specific needs through trial and error.

On this general subject of alternative PD remedies, there are several that I am aware of that have shown varying degrees of benefit in improving quality of life, but like levodopa drug products, there is usually a need for trial and error testing or a learning curve to figure out the best dosing schedule for you.

In PD, there are no cures on the horizon, only various alternatives to try and improve your quality of life. If you are interested in any of those other options, I can offer you some information regarding them if I am familiar with your choice.

Art

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