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Mucuna pruriens

 

 
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Mucuna pruriens
 
 
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Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
 known by a multitude of common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
s (see below).


>
This subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
 is named after its large fruits of about 15 cm in length. M. gigantea is a valid species.



Synonyms
plant is an annual, climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 m in length.






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Encyclopedia


Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume
Fabaceae

Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family or pulse family....
 known by a multitude of common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
s (see below).

Nomenclature and taxonomy


Common names

  • Velvet bean
  • Cowitch
  • Cowhage
  • Juckbohne (German: "Itch bean")
  • Picapica
  • Kapikachu
  • Yerepe (Yoruba)
  • Atmagupta


Subspecies

  • Mucuna pruriens ssp. deeringiana (Bort) Hanelt
  • Mucuna pruriens ssp. gigantea
This subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
 is named after its large fruits of about 15 cm in length. M. gigantea is a valid species.
  • Mucuna pruriens ssp. pruriens


Varieties

  • Mucuna pruriens var. hirsuta (Wight & Arn.) Wilmot-Dear
  • Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens (L.) DC. is the stinging variety.
  • Mucuna pruriens var. sericophylla
  • Mucuna pruriens var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) L.H.Bailey is the non-stinging variety grown in Honduras
    Honduras

    Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras ....
    .


Synonyms


Description

The plant is an annual, climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 m in length. When the plant is young, it is almost completely covered with fuzzy hairs, but when older, it is almost completely free of hairs. The leaves are tripinnate, ovate, reverse ovate, rhombus
Rhombus

In geometry, a rhombus , or rhomb is an equilateral polygon parallelogram. In other words, it is a four-sided polygon in which every side has the same length....
 shaped or widely ovate. The sides of the leaves are often heavily grooved and the tips are pointy. In young Mucuna pruriens plants, both sides of the leaves have hairs. The stems of the leaflets are two to three millimeters long. Additional adjacent leaves are present and are about 5 mm long.

The flower heads take the form of axially arrayed panicle
Panicle

A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched Indeterminate growth inflorescence with Pedicel flowers attached along the secondary branches ....
s. They are 15 to 32 cm long and have two to three, or many flowers. The accompanying leaves are about 12.5 mm long, the flower stand axes are from 2.5 to 5 mm. The bell is 7.5 to 9 mm long and silky. The sepal
Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Sepals in a "typical" flower are green and lie under the more conspicuous petals. As a collective unit the sepals are called the Wiktionary:calyx, and the collection of petals is called the Wiktionary:corolla....
s are longer or of the same length as the shuttles. The crown is purplish or white. The flag is 1.5 mm long. The wings are 2.5 to 3.8 cm long.

In the fruit ripening stage, a 4 to 13 cm long, 1 to 2 cm wide, unwinged leguminous fruit develops. There is a ridge along the length of the fruit. The husk is very hairy and carries up to seven seeds. The seeds are flattened uniform ellipsoid, 1 to 1.9 cm long, 0.8 to 1.3 cm wide and 4 to 6.5 cm thick. The hilum
Hilum

A hilum is a depression or pit where structures are attached.* In human anatomy, the hilum is part of an Organ where structures such as blood vessels and nerves enter....
, the base of the funiculus
Funiculus

The cerebrospinal nerves consist of numerous nerve fibers collected together and enclosed in membranous sheaths. A small bundle of fibers, enclosed in a tubular sheath, is called a funiculus; if the nerve is of small size, it may consist only of a single funiculus; but if large, the funiculi are collected together into larger bundles or fasci...
 (connection between placenta and plant seeds) is a surrounded by a significant arillus (fleshy seeds shell).

Mucuna pruriens bears white, lavender, or purple flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s. Its seed pods are about 10 cm long and are covered in loose orange hairs that cause a severe itch if they come in contact with skin. The chemical compounds responsible for the itch are a protein, mucunain
Mucunain

The protease mucunain is a substance in the tissues of certain Fabaceae of the genus Mucuna, especially velvet bean . In these species the mucunain is found in stiff hairs, or trichomes, covering the seed pods....
, and serotonin
Serotonin

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans....
. The seeds are shiny black or brown drift seed
Drift seed

Drift seeds and drift fruits are seeds and fruits adapted for long distance seed dispersal by water. Most are produced by tropical trees, and they can be found on distant beaches after drifting thousands of miles through ocean currents....
s. It is found in tropical Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 and the Caribbean
Caribbean

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands , and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America....
.

The dry weight of the seeds is 55 to 85 g/100 seeds.

The number of chromosomes in the plant cells is 2n = 20, 22 or 24.

Uses


In many parts of the world Mucuna pruriens is used as an important forage
Forage

Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage....
, fallow and green manure
Green manure

In agriculture, a green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Typically, a green manure crop is grown for a specific period, and then plowed under and incorporated into the soil....
 crop. Since the plant is in the legume family (peas and beans), it, with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria, takes nitrogen gas from the air and combines it with other chemical compounds producing fertilizer and improving the soil.

Mucuna pruriens is a widespread fodder plant in the tropics. To that end, the whole plant is fed to animals as silage, dried hay or dried seeds. Mucuna pruriens silage contains 11-23% crude protein, 35-40% crude fiber, and the dried beans 20-35% crude protein.

Mucuna pruriens is sometimes used as a coffee substitute called "Nescafe" (not to be confused with the commercial brand). Cooked fresh shoots or beans can also be eaten. This requires that they be soaked from at least 30 minutes to 48 hours in advance of cooking, or the water changed up to several times during cooking, since otherwise the plant can be toxic to humans. The above described process leaches out chemical compounds such as levodopa
Levodopa

L-DOPA is a naturally occurring amino acid found in food and made from L-Tyrosine in the human body. L-DOPA is converted into dopamine in the brain and body....
, making the product suitable for consumption. If consumed in large quantities as food, unprocessed Mucuna pruriens is toxic to nonruminant
Ruminant

Physiologically, a ruminant is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again....
 mammals including humans.

In history, M. pruriens has been used as an effective aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is a substance which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek mythology of sensuality....
. It is still used to increase libido
Libido

Libido in its common usage means sexual desire; however, more technical definitions, such as those found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general, referring to libido as the free creative?or psychic?energy an individual has to put toward personal development or individuation....
 in both men and women due to its dopamine
Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the human brain, this phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five types of dopamine receptors ? D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, and their variants....
 inducing properties. Dopamine has a profound influence on sexual function. A typical dose for a man is 15 g of ground seeds mixed with cow's milk.

Mucuna pruriens seeds have also been found to have antidepressant
Antidepressant

An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used for alleviating major depressive disorder or dysthymia. Drug groups known as MAOIs, tricyclics, and second-generation antidepressants such as SSRIs, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are particularly associated with the term....
 properties when consumed.

Dried leaves of Mucuna pruriens are sometimes smoked.

Mucuna pruriens has also recently become popular among lucid dreaming
Lucid dreaming

A lucid dream is a dream in which the person is aware that they are dreaming while the dream is in progress, also known as a conscious dream....
 enthusiasts: when combined with other supplements that stimulate the cholinergic
Acetylcholine

The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including homo sapiens....
 system, the dopamine
Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the human brain, this phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five types of dopamine receptors ? D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, and their variants....
 presumably produced from the consumption of Mucuna pruriens confers upon the lucid dreamer greater motivation and confidence.

The hairs lining the seed pods contain 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin
Serotonin

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans....
) which causes severe itching (erythema
Erythema

Erythema is redness of the skin caused by capillary congestion....
). The hairs on the outside of the pods of Mucuna pruriens are a common ingredient in itching powder
Itching powder

Itching powder refers to a group of Powder or powder-like substances that induce itching when applied onto human skin. This is usually done as a Practical joke device or prank to an unsuspecting victim....
.

Mucuna pruriens is used in the countries of Benin
Benin

Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin....
 and Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
 as a biological control for problematic Imperata cylindrica grass. Mucuna pruriens is said not to be invasive outside its cultivated area.

Pharmacology

Mucuna pruriens seeds contain high concentrations of levodopa
Levodopa

L-DOPA is a naturally occurring amino acid found in food and made from L-Tyrosine in the human body. L-DOPA is converted into dopamine in the brain and body....
, a direct precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine
Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter occurring in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the human brain, this phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five types of dopamine receptors ? D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5, and their variants....
. It has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine for diseases including Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills and speech, as well as other functions....
. In large amounts (e.g. 30 g dose) it has been shown to be as effective as pure levodopa/carbidopa
Carbidopa

Carbidopa is a medication given to people with Parkinson's disease in order to inhibit peripheral metabolism of levodopa....
 in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease, but no data on long-term efficacy and tolerability is available.

In addition to levodopa, Mucuna also contains serotonin
Serotonin

Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans....
 (5-HT), 5-HTP, nicotine
Nicotine

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants which constitutes approximately 0.6?3.0% of dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulating in the leaves....
, N,N-DMT (DMT), bufotenine, and 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT

5-MeO-DMT is a powerful psychedelic drug tryptamine. It is found in a wide variety of plant and psychoactive toad species, and like its close relatives Dimethyltryptamine and bufotenin , it has been used as an entheogen by South American shamanism for thousands of years....
. As such, it could potentially have psychedelic
Psychedelic

The word 'psychedelic' is an English term coined from the Greek language words for "soul," ???? , and "manifest," d???? . A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters....
 effects, and it has purportedly been used in ayahuasca
Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is any of various psychoactive infusions or decoctions prepared from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, usually mixed with the leaves of the Psychotria bush....
 preparations.

The mature seeds of the plant contain about 3.1-6.1% L-DOPA, with trace amounts of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), nicotine, DMT-n-oxide, bufotenine, 5-MeO-DMT-n-oxide, and beta-carboline
Beta-carboline

?-Carboline is an organic compound amine that is the prototype of a class of Chemical compound known as ?-carbolines....
. One study using 36 samples of the seeds found no tryptamines present in them.

The leaves contain about 0.5% L-DOPA, 0.006% dimethyltryptamine
Dimethyltryptamine

Dimethyltryptamine , also known as N,N-dimethyltryptamine, is a naturally-occurring tryptamine and potent psychedelic drug, found not only in many plants, but also in trace amounts in the human body where its natural function is undetermined....
 (DMT), 0.0025% 5-MeO-DMT
5-MeO-DMT

5-MeO-DMT is a powerful psychedelic drug tryptamine. It is found in a wide variety of plant and psychoactive toad species, and like its close relatives Dimethyltryptamine and bufotenin , it has been used as an entheogen by South American shamanism for thousands of years....
 and 0.003% DMT n-oxide.

Gallery


See also

  • Levodopa
    Levodopa

    L-DOPA is a naturally occurring amino acid found in food and made from L-Tyrosine in the human body. L-DOPA is converted into dopamine in the brain and body....
  • Medicinal plants
  • Mucunain
    Mucunain

    The protease mucunain is a substance in the tissues of certain Fabaceae of the genus Mucuna, especially velvet bean . In these species the mucunain is found in stiff hairs, or trichomes, covering the seed pods....
  • Psychedelic plants
    Psychedelic plants

    Psychedelic plants are plants that contain psychedelic drugs. Some of them have been used for thousands of years for religious purposes....


External links

  • (Photos)