Mucuna pruriens
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fd8f76cb4d979899609 |
| Scientific name | Mucuna pruriens |
| Authority | (L.) DC. |
| First published in | Prodr.2: 405 (1825) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
Suggest a correction!
Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
In southern India, practitioners in the Ayurvedic community still mention Mucuna pruriens as a seed tonic for tremors and weakness, most often preparing a short seed decoction or a warm maceration, and they also advise eating small quantities of roasted, de‑hulled seed as food (Jadge et al., 2017; Hegde and Patil, 2021). In parts of Tamil Nadu, herbal practitioners report the leaf juice as a colic remedy, but when referencing the more robust ethnobotanical corpus they point to the seed infusion for nervous conditions (Muthu et al., 2006). In West Africa, healers ground the seed and steeped it in water for young people experiencing nervous symptoms, and across Nigeria, the powdered seed is taken in water for nervous and “depressive” states (Hughes et al., 1983). Across these regions, the documented preparations include teas (infusions), decoctions, and macerations of the seed, sometimes after brief roasting or soaking, and in some accounts the young leaf is also used as a juice for colic.
For a mild seed infusion, use 1 g of roasted, de‑hulled, finely powdered seed (fresh raw seed is harsh and best avoided) to 250 ml near‑boiling water, stir, and steep covered for 10–15 minutes; many practitioners add a few grams of jaggery or honey to improve palatability. If you prefer a short decoction, simmer 1 g of powder in 250 ml water for 5 minutes, cool, and strain. Dose is generally “small” and used short term; avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and if you have Parkinson’s disease, are on MAO inhibitors or dopamine agonists, or are using antidepressants, consult a clinician first (Jadge et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 1983).
The seeds are notably rich in L‑DOPA (levodopa), a well‑known precursor of dopamine, which plausibly accounts for the reported relief of tremor and rigidity in traditional contexts. They also contain serotonin, together with small amounts of bioactive tryptamines, plus isoflavonoids such as daidzin and genistin; tannin and mucilage are present as minor constituents (Manyam et al., 2003).
Modern relevance: commercial L‑DOPA–standardized extracts of Mucuna pruriens are widely available today, and clinical interest in the seed for Parkinson’s symptoms continues, while the traditional preparations of seed tea or decoction still persist in some community and Ayurvedic practices (Manyam et al., 2003; Hegde and Patil, 2021).
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Industrial and craft applications:
- Used as a green manure/cover crop in tropical and subtropical agriculture; fast-growing vines fix atmospheric nitrogen (symbiotic Rhizobium nodules), contributing to soil fertility and reduced fertilizer requirements. Biomass can be incorporated to build organic matter. Seed is produced for agronomic use; cultivation in rotations with cereals and legumes is common. No medicinal claims are implied.
Sustainability and sourcing:
- Established as a smallholder cover crop in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Seeds are sourced through agronomic channels; agronomic literature details cultivation and integration in low-input systems. No specific industrial standards or certifications are reported.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Mucuna prurita | (L.) Hook. | Bot. Mag. 82: t. 4945. 1856 |
| Stizolobium pruriens | (L.) Medik. | Vorles. Churpfälz. Phys.-Ökon. Ges.2: 399 (1787) |
| Dolichos pruriens | L. | Herb. Amb.: 23 (1754) |
| Marcanthus cochinchinense | Lour. | |
| Carpogon niveus | Roxb. | |
| Carpogon capitatus | Roxb. | |
| Mucuna cochinchinense | (Lour.) A.Chev. | |
| Carpopogon pruriens | (L.) Roxb. | Fl. Ind. ed. 1832, 3: 283 (1832) |
| Negretia pruriens | (L.) Oken | Allg. Naturgesch.3(3): 1666 (1841) |
| Labradia pruriens | (L.) Swediaur | Arzneymitt.1: 164 (1801) |
| Stizolobium pruritum | Piper | Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 30: 54 (1917) |
| Stizolobium cochinchinense | (Lour.) Burk | |
| Hornera pruriens | (L.) Neck. | Elem. Bot. 3: 44 (1790) |
| Mucuna prurita | Wight | Bot. Misc. 2: 348 (1831) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | velvet bean |
| English | cowitch |
| English | cowhage |
| English | cowage |
| Spanish | chiporazo |
| Spanish | ojo de venado |
| Spanish | kapikachu |
| Spanish | grano de terciopelo |
| Spanish | grano de mar |
| Spanish | frijol terciopelo |
| Spanish | chiporro |
| Spanish | nescafe |
| Arabic | ميقونة شهوانية |
| Arabic | ميوكونة البقر |
| Bengali | বিলাই খামচি |
| Bengali | আলকুশি |
| Catalan | mongeta de vellut |
| dag | laam |
| German | juckbohne |
| Persian | مکونا پرورینز |
| Fulah | nyanyare gaduuru |
| French | pois mascate |
| Gujarati | કુવેચ |
| Gujarati | કવચ |
| Hausa | karara |
| Hindi | किवांच |
| ht | pwa grate |
| Indonesian | kara benguk |
| Japanese | ハッショウマメ |
| jv | benguk |
| kcg | a̱yangkwai |
| kcg | a̱yaayangkwai |
| Kannada | ನಸುಗುನ್ನಿ |
| Korean | 우단콩 |
| Malagasy | ampômbofôfo |
| Malagasy | ampsy-dy |
| Malagasy | tainkilotro |
| Malagasy | takilodambo |
| Malayalam | പൂനക്കാലി |
| Malayalam | നായക്കൊരണ |
| Malayalam | നായ്കുരണ |
| Malayalam | നായ്കുരണചെടി |
| Malayalam | നായ്കുരണച്ചെടി |
| Malayalam | നായ്കുരണപ്പരിപ്പ് |
| Malayalam | നായ്ക്കുരണചെടി |
| Malayalam | നായ്ക്കുരണച്ചെടി |
| Malayalam | നായ്ക്കുരണപരിപ്പ് |
| Malayalam | നായ്ക്കുരണപ്പരിപ്പ് |
| Malayalam | നായ്ക്കുരണ |
| Malayalam | നായ്കുരണപരിപ്പ് |
| mni | ꯁꯥꯃꯨ ꯍꯋꯥꯏ |
| Marathi | कुहिला |
| Marathi | खाजकुयली |
| Marathi | कुहीरी |
| Burmese | ခွေးလှေယားပင် |
| Nepali | काउसो |
| Dutch | fluweelboon |
| Oriya | ବାଇଡ଼ଙ୍କ |
| Punjabi | ਕੌਂਚ ਫਲੀ |
| Polish | aksamitne ziarno |
| Polish | Świerzbiec właściwy |
| Portuguese | feijão-da-flórida |
| Russian | Мукуна жгучая |
| Sinhala | වඳුරු මෑ |
| Swahili | mpupu |
| Tamil | பூனைக்காலி |
| tcy | ನಾಯಿ ಸೊಡಂಕ್ |
| Telugu | దురదగొండి |
| Telugu | దూలగొండి |
| Thai | หมามุ่ย |
| Thai | หมาหมุ้ย |
| Thai | หมามุ้ย |
| Vietnamese | Đậu mèo rừng |
| Yoruba | yerepe |
| Yoruba | werepe |
| Chinese | 刺毛黧豆 |
| Chinese | 狸豆 |
| Chinese | 狸爪豆 |
Varieties (abbr. var.) Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Mucuna pruriens var. hirsuta | (Wight & Arn.) Wilmot-Dear | Kew Bull.42: 44 (1987) |
| Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens | (L.) DC. | Unknown |
| Mucuna pruriens var. utilis | (Wall. ex Wight) L.H.Bailey | |
| Mucuna pruriens var. utilis | (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck | Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg11: 187 (1893) |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
-
Macaronesia
- Cape Verde
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Ethiopia
- Sudan
-
South Tropical Africa
- Angola
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
-
Southern Africa
- Kwazulu-Natal
- Northern Provinces
-
West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Burkina
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
-
West-central Tropical Africa
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Gulf Of Guinea Islands
- Zaïre
-
Western Indian Ocean
- Comoros
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Réunion
-
East Tropical Africa
-
Asia-temperate click to expand
-
Arabian Peninsula
- Yemen
-
Caucasus
- Transcaucasus
-
China
- China South-central
- China Southeast
- Hainan
-
Eastern Asia
- Taiwan
-
Arabian Peninsula
-
Asia-tropical click to expand
-
Indian Subcontinent
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- East Himalaya
- India
- Laccadive Islands
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- West Himalaya
-
Indo-China
- Andaman Islands
- Cambodia
- Myanmar
- Nicobar Nicobar
- Thailand
- Vietnam
-
Malesia
- Christmas Island
- Jawa
- Lesser Sunda Islands
- Malaya
- Maluku
- Philippines
-
Papuasia
- Solomon Islands
-
Indian Subcontinent
-
Australasia click to expand
-
Australia
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
-
Australia
-
Northern America click to expand
-
Mexico
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Southeast
- Mexico Southwest
-
Mexico
-
Pacific click to expand
-
Northwestern Pacific
- Marianas
-
Southwestern Pacific
- Fiji
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
-
Northwestern Pacific
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Brazil
- Brazil North
- Brazil Northeast
- Brazil South
- Brazil Southeast
- Brazil West-central
-
Caribbean
- Bahamas
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Leeward Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Southwest Caribbean
- Trinidad-Tobago
- Windward Islands
-
Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panamá
-
Northern South America
- Suriname
- Venezuela
-
Western South America
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
-
Brazil
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000182545 |
| UNII | 2JN37DC03A |
| Florida Plant Atlas | 1507 |
| USDA Plants | MUPR |
| Tropicos | 13036037 |
| INPN | 630188 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:509275-1 |
| The Plant List | ild-2863 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 569266 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 157652 |
| Nature Serve | 2.128948 |
| IPNI | 509275-1 |
| iNaturalist | 165536 |
| GBIF | 2951499 |
| Freebase | /m/090t7g |
| EPPO | MUCPR |
| EOL | 645045 |
| USDA GRIN | 24652 |
| Wikipedia | Mucuna_pruriens |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_025330945.1 | ASM2533094v1 | Scaffold | Plateau State University, Bokkos | 2022-09-20 | 100 | 467.13 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Phytochemical Profile Top
Add a new one!
Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Phenols / Benzenediols / Catechols / Catecholamines and derivatives | |||||
| Dopamine | 681 | Click to see | 153.18 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02319010 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty acids and conjugates / Long-chain fatty acids | |||||
| (9Z)-11-((2R,3S)-3-Pentyl-2-oxiranyl)-9-undecenoic acid | 5281128 | Click to see | 296.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/JSFA.2740290412 |
| Vernolic acid, cis-(+)- | 6449780 | Click to see | 296.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1002/JSFA.2740290412 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Glycerophospholipids / Glycerophosphocholines / Phosphatidylcholines | |||||
| 2-[2,3-bis[[(E)-nonadec-9-enoyl]oxy]propoxy-hydroxyphosphoryl]oxyethyl-trimethylazanium | 6850739 | Click to see CCCCCCCCCC=CCCCCCCCC(=O)OCC(COP(=O)(O)OCC[N+](C)(C)C)OC(=O)CCCCCCCC=CCCCCCCCCC | 815.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-365-1_16 |
| > Organic acids and derivatives / Carboxylic acids and derivatives / Amino acids, peptides, and analogues / Alpha amino acids and derivatives / Tyrosine and derivatives | |||||
| DL-Dopa | 836 | Click to see | 197.19 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.56.357 |
| Levodopa | 6047 | Click to see C1=CC(=C(C=C1CC(C(=O)O)N)O)O | 197.19 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-8146(92)90235-T https://doi.org/10.1271/BBB1961.55.617 https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041657 https://doi.org/10.1248/CPB.56.357 https://doi.org/10.1002/CHIN.200511199 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199709)11:6<419::AID-PTR120>3.0.CO;2-Q https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02319010 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01871128 https://doi.org/10.1076/PHBI.39.4.312.5905 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Diazines / Pyrazines | |||||
| Stizolamine | 21780519 | Click to see | 197.19 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1076/PHBI.39.4.312.5905 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Indoles and derivatives / Tryptamines and derivatives / Serotonins | |||||
| Bufotenine | 10257 | Click to see | 204.27 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0028-1099642 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Tetrahydroisoquinolines | |||||
| (-)-3-Carboxy-1,1-dimethyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline | 13406892 | Click to see | 237.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| (-)3-Carboxy-1,1-dimethyl-7,8-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline | 129716305 | Click to see | 237.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| (1S,3S)-6,7-dihydroxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid | 12146808 | Click to see | 223.22 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| (3S)-6,7-Dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid | 12926159 | Click to see | 209.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| (3S)-7,8-dihydroxy-1,1-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-isoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid | 12146809 | Click to see CC1(C2=C(CC(N1)C(=O)O)C=CC(=C2O)O)C | 237.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| (S)-6,7-dihydroxy-1,1-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid | 13406893 | Click to see CC1(C2=CC(=C(C=C2CC(N1)C(=O)O)O)O)C | 237.25 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-6,7-dihydroxy-3-isoquinolinecarboxylic acid | 12926158 | Click to see C1C(NCC2=CC(=C(C=C21)O)O)C(=O)O | 209.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
| 6,7-Dihydroxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid | 162692 | Click to see CC1C2=CC(=C(C=C2CC(N1)C(=O)O)O)O | 223.22 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2004.08.045 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |