I thought I would try Mucuna capsuls by NOW. I was not feeling good so I thought I would give it a try. I took one about 9 at night for 3 days and I feel better. Slept for a change could it work that fast. I had read a book by Rafael Maldonado called treatment with Natural Levodopa and wonder why it isn't more widely used.
Mucuna: I thought I would try Mucuna... - Cure Parkinson's
Mucuna
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cshamb
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Thank you for giving the brand name that you used. Are you on any pharma medication? I am the caretaker for my 54 year old son. We live close to each other but not together. He is on 2.5 (25/100 C/L) 3X daily. I think he needs more dopa. When you state "not feeling good", can you describe what you mean?
I am taking 25/100 C/L 4x daily. I go to sleep then wake up about 2:00 and can't go back to sleep because my legs ache or maybe its restless legs. Also the next day I am fatigued and no energy. Just a general overall feeling of malaise.Hard to explain but after taking the Mucuna just three days I felt much better. Slept all night and able to do more. I have had pd for about 4-5 yrs. Also I am on a 2mg neuro patch. The book I mentioned was full of useful information. I did e-mail my neurologist and ask about taking the Mucuna but so far no reply. I wish I could find someone in my area that could tell me how much to take and what brand. But since the Doc. in the book mentioned NOW along with others I thought I would try taking just one. Hopefully it won't hurt. Hope this has helped.
Thank you, that was very helpful. I know each body is unique, but would like to try this with my son who as I mentioned is on C/L. There are many who are taking the Mucuna but without pharma meds. In the SEARCH PARKINSON'S MOVEMENT box above, put in "Mucuna Pruriens" or "Mucuna" by itself. There are many past postings, but few that mention taking pharma meds with it...but there are a few. I will be curious to see how it progresses. It takes a while to get the hang of how to use this support site. Again, MIL GRACIAS!!!
I'm using Mucuna with prescribed medication - although not C/L. I take ropinirole, a dopamine agonist. I'm on a very low dose which I personally think is because of Mucuna. I never found the capsules particularly effective but use the powder.
Stevie3, the Mucuna with your pharma med is this with the blessing of your Neuro or doing it independently? I live in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Where did you say you lived?
Independently of my neuro although my GP knows. He wasn't impressed but, although I really get on with him, he's not pro 'alternatives'. I'm in the uk.
HI, thank you! I thought you were in the UK. Thanks for the confirmation. This afternoon It's 109 degrees in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, but at least a dry heat.
Sorry, one last question (I hope). How long have you been on Mucuna and pharma med?
No problem. I started on aziclet in November 2014. I started taking Mucuna a couple of weeks later. I've been taking 6mg ropinirole since March 2016. It's my belief that I am able to have a low dose of ropinirole because I also use Mucuna. I don't know if that's true but it feels like it to me.
Thanks! I ordered the book by Maldonado that cshamb mentioned. Being the posts and the book I think I will be better informed to talk to my son about Mucuna.
There is no official advice available on dosage. You need to base it on how much l-dopa there is in your mucuna. 17 Months ago, when I started, I couldn't find any UK supplier quoting an amount of l-dopa. I found websitres which quoted figures of 4%-15% l-dopa in the bean so I took capsules of 500 mg whole bean every 3 hours but it wasn't enough amd suddenly you could find offers of, for example, 800mg whole bean containing 120 mg l-dopa, and one capsule every 4 hours was enough. But the strength of capsules on offer changed very month or so, I assume because composition of the raw material changed. Sinemet Plus worked for me at 50 mg every 2 hours and M.p. works at 100 mg alternating with 120 mg every 4 hours. If I needed to concenrate hard continuously then I would take 100 mg every 3 hours. Because th e M.p. l-dopa is not protected it is removed more quickly than that in Sinemet Plus it disappears more quickly so you'll probably need to
take a slightly larger dose than you would S.P. It's taken up a bit quicker than SP and can be taken with food, which slows uptake and extends its life.
It is widely used in India, as per Ayurvedic articles usage of this for PD, In Indian Vedic literature cited before 5000 years back. Take 1 TBS of Mucana powder, Indian Vedic name Kapikachu in empty stomach with half fresh lemon juice, one will be ON within 30 minutes, after that take food.
Mucuna is a form of dopamine and has helped many. I take Zandopa powder and Kapikachhu Capsules with 1/2 sinemet twice a day. I feel much better taking it with sinemet vs. taking sinemet alone without it. I bought it online, directly from India from an ayurvedic web store. They shipped it via express delivery which took less than a week to get here in the USA. Here is the link to their web page if anyone is interested -
Could you please post the name of the book? Thank you
Yes, it can work very fast. I separate the capsules and put the powder directly into Almond milk sweetened with stevia and drink! Within 30-45 minutes, my legs have calmed down altogether...no symptoms at all. I've been on Mucuna 7 months. It's been a God-send to me!
What capsules do u take and how. Thankyo
I take the powdered Mucuna Extract 98%, from Powdercity.com. I take a half tsp. 30-45 minutes before I want to sleep at night. That lasts me four hours. Then, when that wears off, I get up and take another half tsp. and sleep another four hours.
You can get capsules of the 95% Mucuna Extract, but I always take them apart and pour the capsule contents into a glass and put Almond Milk in the glass sweetened with stevia. Mucuna does not have a taste, so it's very refreshing to add the Almond milk. The capsules are more expensive than the powder.
That's what I do.
I take mucuna from Now campeny for 15 month. I began with 2 andI am now taking3x2 per day Mucuna has l dopa so you feel better. I feel on my left side pain so I know I have to take more.no doctor will give any advice because ite vegetarian and not a medication.
I came to the conclusion a long time ago, Ruth, that I was solely in charge of my own health. If I was going to get well, I had to take charge. All my medical doctor wanted to do was put me on drugs. No thanks!!
How much mucuna do you take.I feel that every few week I have to take more I feel it on my left hand which is stiff and hearts. I take now 7 capsules from Now campeny and it seems not enough
It all depends on the potency of the capsules. The ones readily available are about 15% Mucuna Pruriens. That is NOT NEARLY ENOUGH to even feel any relief. Look online for capsules or just the powder that is at least 95% Mucuna EXTRACT! The extract is potent enough to give you relief.
I previously took capsules, but I would always open the capsule and empty the powder into water. It goes to work so much faster that way since it takes time for a capsule to dissolve in the stomach. Now I used 98% Mucuna Pruriens powder from powdercity.com/products/muc.... I order the 250 gram size as it lasts months. From this powder I take 1/2 tsp. mixed with 6 oz or so of Almond milk and stevia about 30-45 minutes before I want to sleep. It gives me four hours of restful sleep. At the end of four hours, the symptoms again start in. I repeat the 1/2 tsp mixed with Almond milk and stevia. This is the dosage that works for me. Too much more upsets my stomach. The research on Mucuna that I read shows that the test subjects received a much higher dose of Mucuna than this, so I am not worried about the dosage. It has worked for me for 7 months so far. No augmentation from using it, either.
God bless!
Supermnew thanks you helped me a lot I use the NOW capsules I began 15 month ago with 2 aday and I am now on 7 aday .I alse empty the capsules.I feel bad frome 4 o'clock in the afternoon and sleep bad at night. I will increase the amount as you said
Any pharma meds taken besides the Mucuna that you take?
I take 1 azilect and 2 amantadin I take now 7 capsules of mucuna and today it seems not enough. and idont know what to do.
Anyone out there who dont take any parma meds how mach mucuna do you take and what else do you do
Thanks for the reply. I would talk to your neuro.
He is for parma meds only
My husband was diagnosed with PD 12 years ago. He was taking Stalevo 5 times a day, but it lost its effectiveness. He reduced his Stalevo tablets from 5 to 2 a day and added powdered Mucuna instead - 1 level Tablespoon of pure Mucuna powder (no additives) mixed in pure water - which he takes as and when he needs it, from first thing in the morning, and around every 3 hours on average, until 11pm (ish). So far (about a year) he has not had any negative side effects from this much Mucuna. On the contrary, the Mucuna usually kicks in after only 10-15 minutes. It has been much more reliable and consistent than the pharmaceutical drugs.
I take 15 powdered herbs with mp no Pharma and it works.
Mucuna pruriens contains l-dopa, which is exactly the same as you find in Sinemet or Madopar. I do not think there is anything “special” or “magical” about it. But there is no carboxylase inhibitor to protect it so it is quickly destroyed. M. pruriens also contains a small amount of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, a serotonin precursor. Serotonin has a calming effect. I’ve been taking M.p. for a year now instead of Sinemet. For the last 4 weeks I’ve been asked to go back to Sinemet, increasing the dose gradually to 3 x 750 mg/day. I prefer M.p.
I have Parkinsonism (My motor symptoms do no respond to l-dopa but I have no tremor.)
I am doing some desk research on Parkinson’s (I have a D. Phil in Biochemistry from Oxford (1965!)).
Clinicians do not like M.p. because:
1. They (we) cannot be certain how much l-dopa it contains
2. They do not know what else it contains;
3. Its production is unregulated.
4. The shrub (or tree) produces beans that are very prickly and give agonising stings, which make it difficult to cultivate so that every batch of product may come from a genetically different plant.
5. They consider it a herbal product which doctors are mostly trained to distrust…..
6. …….along with any patient who “self-medicates”.
There is some justification for each of these objections but virtually none of the research necessary to support its approval as a treatment for PSDs has been done, for the reasons listed above.
The NHS and the NIH would both see it as a task for private enterprise and not for them but private enterprise would see the development process as costly and unlikely to lead to a product that would carry a premium price since competitors could easily produce identical products. the manufacturers of Sinemet Plus could, in any case, easily produce Sinemet without carbidopa if there were a demand from clinicians
Carbidopa and benserazide are, I suspect, the main issue for biochemical reasons which are too technically complex to write about here.
If anyone has motor symptoms that do not respond to l-dopa I would like to ask a number of questions:
(i) Do you have the characteristic tremor?
(ii) Have you tried Mucuna pruriens instead of Sinemet or Madopar?
If so,
(iii) Which did you prefer and why? In each case:
(iv) Did you notice whether your blood pressure was higher or lower?
(v) Constipation was more or less severe?
(vi) You fell more, or less, frequently?
(vii) You felt more, or less, fatigued?
If I have enough responses I would be able to test, informally, some aspects of a hypothesis I have formed about Parkinson’s Spectrum Disorders.
The Pods of Mucuna Puriens may contain more L-Dopa then the seeds and depending on where they grow and the waterful will depend on how much L- Dopa they contain.
(i) Do you have the characteristic tremor?
NO
(ii) Have you tried Mucuna pruriens instead of Sinemet or Madopar?
MY HUSBAND HAS YES, BUT FIND THE CARBIDOPA IN STALEVO HELPS THE MUCUNA CROSS THE BLOOD/BRAIN BARRIER, SO STILL TAKE 2 STALEVO A DAY AS WELL AS MUCUNA. OTHERWISE MUCUNA'S EFFECTIVENESS WEARS OFF AS THE DAY GOES ON. HE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.
If so,
(iii) Which did you prefer and why? In each case:
MUCUNA - ITS FAR MORE EFFECTIVE, USUALLY KICKS IN WITHIN 15 MINS AND LASTS 3 HOURS ON AVERAGE, PLUS HE FEELS HEALTHIER AND STRONGER.
(iv) Did you notice whether your blood pressure was higher or lower?
DOCTOR SAYS HE HAS THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF A 21 YEAR OLD, YET HE'S 69. HE IS ALSO ALMOST COMPLETELY VEGAN WHICH COULD HAVE A BEARING ON HIS BP.
(v) Constipation was more or less severe?
NO CONSTIPATION SINCE HE HAD A SECTION OF TWISTED BOWEL REMOVED LAST CHRISTMAS. BEFORE THAT, VERY CONSTIPATED ON STALEVO.
(vi) You fell more, or less, frequently?
HE HASN'T FALLEN IN 12 YEARS.
(vii) You felt more, or less, fatigued? HE RARELY FEELS FATIGUED.
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