Ernie suggested that I post this I thought it was a good idea since I get asked the question quite a bit. My mucuna protocol! What you eat and when you eat is critical in the effectiveness of mucuna! I was on Carbidopa levodopa 25 100 for about 6 months and I weaned off completely in about a week. I just did it on my own because I was anxious to get started with the natural supplement. I started out with one eighth of a teaspoon that I mixed in water. I happen to have a 1/8 teaspoon that's why I used it Lord knows where I got it. I was trying to duplicate the same relief time I got from the synthetic levodopa roughly 4 hours. It didn't take long before I figured out 3/8 of a teaspoon worked for me. I mixed it with water then and now I use green tea. There's an enzyme in green tea that aids in getting the mucuna across the blood-brain barrier similar to what the Carbidopa does. Here is my routine. My start time is based on my job so it may be different for you. 9 a.m. on an empty stomach I take my first dose if you're a coffee drinker I find it works well with coffee just don't mix with milk because it has too much protein. I use almond milk the one gram of protein per cup doesn't seem to affect it. As soon as the mucuna kicks in roughly 30 minutes I eat breakfast. Each dose is roughly 4 hours apart my next dose would be 1pm and then 5pm. I don't usually eat lunch but if you do again eat right after your 1pm dose kicks in! The idea is your food is digested before you take the mucuna. You want the mucuna (l-dopa) to cross the blood-brain barrier and to get into your central nervous system without competing with other proteins in doing so. Two years later I'm using the same amount 3/8 of a teaspoon. You should see results right away! By the way there's a lot of different kinds of mucuna out there I use what came highly recommended to me. Nutrivitashop.Com search for l-dopa and it comes in bulk powder form they claim roughly 98% pure. It's the only mucuna I have ever used. I also buy my green tea Japanese matcha from nutrivitashop it's inexpensive and organic. I use a large mason jar I make up a batch of green tea for the day or so. I also makeup my mucuna in small mason jars and don't mix the green tea into it till I'm ready to take it. I only mix in about 4 ounces or less of the green tea Shake It Up try not to leave too much residue in the jar. I use very little green tea because I don't want to take in too much caffeine throughout the course of the day. Be prepared even to this day I get nauseous once in awhile it comes with the territory it will pass in about a half hour. As you can see it requires a little discipline and routine but that's what it takes to do it naturally! I have now added vitamin B1 to my routine and that is a whole nother successful story! One thing at a time! I hope I have answered all your questions good luck and keep me posted! Steven
Mucuna my natural protocol: Ernie suggested... - Cure Parkinson's
Mucuna my natural protocol
I’ve often thought of switching and have tried now brand capsules from a health store but without much if any difference. What improvements have you seen or do you prefer it because it is a natural substance?
Initially it was the natural approach. The powder allows you to adjust the dose easily until you get it right. Always start off with a small amount
Thanks!
i've tried the "now" brand of mucuna and didn't like it very much. i prefer "barlows" brand mucuna. it seems to be more consistent.
Good to know thank you, is the Barlow’s brand a powder?
I've got to get me a name like caveman Jay! I'm just curious what type and amount as well as frequency are you taking?
Excellent post 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
How old are you now?
Too funny I thought I was 57 But realize I'm only 56 I've had symptoms since I'm 47
How much B1 are you using.
I was going up in 1 gram increments when I went from 3000 to 4000 I got a little sluggish and felt off. So I shut down five days. I'm now back on at 3000 feeling good. I am trying to lose weight that I put on over the winter so I'm going to wait until I got the last 8 pounds off before I increase. I bought 100 mg capsules so this time I go up 200 100 each dose and hopefully find the magic number.
This is very useful "dosing information" for other forum members who are considering HDT. Thank you for posting it, Steven!
Art
Can you take both ie swap one of your daily doses for mucuna . Thanks for any help. I'm new and only been taking madopar 3 weeks
I personally have never mixed my medication with mucuna but I believe there might be others on this forum that might be doing it. Perhaps they can guide you better than I. Sorry! Good luck!
Thank you
So, you're taking 3/8 tsp of pure mucuna ( no extract ) from Nutravita 3 times daily ? Thanks..
They call it l dopa which is the precursor to dopamine. L-dopa must cross the blood-brain barrier before it is converted into dopamine. The reason you need to take more of it then you might the synthetic version of levodopa is it doesn't have the additional drug Carbidopa which is quite effective in helping with not getting nauseous and getting it across the blood-brain barrier. My point is not all of it gets into the blood-brain barrier so you have to take a little bit more of it.
THANKS... So I take it there's no dyskinesia with the natural approach like this?
No that is not true! You can experience dyskinesia with levodopa or the natural version of it (mucuna) there is a belief that additional compounds within the Bean maybe the reason long term use of mucuna doesn't cause dyskinesia like the synthetic version of levodopa. Also there is no Carbidopa involved which is also a drug with side effects. There is a comprehensive article that went around recently on this forum about mucuna. It is quite long but worth a read if you are considering using it. If you do a search should be easy to find. Good luck! Steven
Hi Stevenmast, i am suffering from Parkinson's since 8 years. during the eight years of medication i was advised by Ayurveda doctor to change over to M.P . i was nervous as there was no material available as to how much to take as dosage and other relevant
materials after searching i got an advice that start taking first thing in the morning a about 1 gm Zandu's zandopa and see how long it works if it works atoll. luckily it worked for an hour and a half and kept it up for 6 weeks. so far no rouble and good results added on day and night same dose and found that till late in the night i could walk up to the toilet easily. like that i have come to after a year long usage i am able to use both Sandopa ( sinemet) alternately. The result, it keeps me prepared to use them tolerantly in case of any one failing or till better drugs are found.
this is personal experience. think well and try on your own formula and approach suitable to you.
i have tried this as doctors and other have informed me that one day sandopa may not work as your own body may become immune to it.
with prayer to the almighty to free us of this dreadful decease.
bye from BILLIARDS
You can definitely experience dyskinesia with any MP product. It doesn't mean you will, but if you are prone to having dyskinesia, it is possible on a low dose. And a larger dose of the 98% l-dopa that Steven is using can definitely cause dyskinesia.
I got dyskinesia from using 98% Mucuna but the B1 seems to have cured it. I still use the same Mucuna pruriens Steve uses plus B1 and no dyskinesia.
Thanks! how much B1?
4 grams
Which brand and what time of day works best?
TY
I'm capsulating my own B1. But I used to use nutrivita thiamine also. I buy Blackburn from the UK now. I take 2 grams in the morning, 1 gram 4 hours later and another 1 gram in another 4 hours. This is the product I use made by me, vegan friendly, filler free
Interesting Ernie! The form of dyskinesia that I have experienced was a mild sort of rocking back and forth. That seems to have subsided since taking the B1
Hi Steven >>> when was you diagnosed ??
So, you don't take anymore synthetic L-Dopa ???
Are you still working ??
3/8 of a teaspoon.....is that not a very little amount......or how many times do you take that a day ??
I was diagnosed just about 7 years ago at 50 years old but wasn't swinging my arm 3 years prior to that at 47 years old. I didn't take any medicine even though it was offered to me for roughly 4 years after formal diagnosis and eventually felt i needed something for sure. I was put on 25/100 carbidopa levadopa which i took for approximately 6 to 8 months until i discovered Mucuna. I weaned off synthetic meds then started Mucuna(L-Dopa) and never looked back! Sorry i do not have exact dates on my next Neurologist visit I am going to get exact dates when i started medicine. I never thought i would be needing to recall such detail at the time.Yes I am unfortunately still working and still go up on residential roof tops by ladder but i pick my situations carefully. Ive learned getting up is the easy part getting down is the challenge!!! Im in the Home Improvement business(Sales). 3/8 of pure l-dopa powder is whats needed for me to get roughly 4 hours relief from tremors mostly and gait. I take 3 times a day. A lot of pwp's try to use an amount of mucuna equivalent to the amount of meds they are taking like for example 25/100mg C/L but it doesn't work like that because a lot of the natural l-dopa doesn't cross the BBB blood brain barrier reaching your central nervous system. That is part of the roll carbidopa plays as well as keeping you from getting nauseous. As im sure other mucuna users will tell you especially the ones out there like me that dont use any synthetic meds its NOT easy!!! It requires consistent timing as to when you dose and what you eat and when you eat! meaning if you eat protein to close to med time it will not work properly because the l-dopa has to compete with other protein in order to cross the BBB and convert in to dopamine. Im off today i hope this helps! Time to ride my unicycle!!! Steven
Sounds very similar to how I take mine .. thanks for the green tea tip!! And yes to the B1 it works great for me
LPalmer,
I was wondering, if you have not already added your HDT/B-1 results to the "who is taking thiamine/HDT" page, would you be kind enough to please do so? If you can, can you also include a little background info as well as dosing and results? This information will be highly useful for other current and future forum members who are considering HDT!
Here is a link to the post where you can add your information. It takes a moment for the page to fully load because it is large, just give it a moment to load :
healthunlocked.com/parkinso...
Thank you!
Art
Re: B1 which is best brand and what time of day?
Thank you very much I'm extremely interested! I'm printing it out might be a little bit easier to read. Much appreciated Steven
I TAKE 1/2 TBLS OF ZAMDOPA IN THE MORNING WHEN I GET UP AND THEN 25/100 SIMINET LATER. I FIND ITS WEARING OFF BY NOON. IS 1/2 TBLS ZAMDOPA OK TO TAKE AGAIN AROUND NOON. ALSO I NOTICED THE ZANDOPA HAS SACCARINE (ARTIFICIAL SWEETNER) IN IT. I ALSO TAKE B1 (1 GRAM) THANKS FOR HELP.
Cshamb, I wish i could be of more help to you but i am not familiar with Zamdopa and the strength of what you are taking. Also, I have never mixed Synthetic meds with natural L-dopa. Are you taking both on a empty stomach or fully digested meals? Are you eating a heavy protein diet during the day??
I TAKE ON A EMPTY STOMACH BEFORE BREAKFAST. I ALSO TAKE SINIMET WHICH I WOULD EVENTUAL LIKE TO COME OFF OF. I DON'T EAT A LOT OF PROTEIN DURING THE DAY. I DID NOTICE IF I FORCE MYSELF TO GO FOR A WALK OR WORK IN THE YARD I FEEL BETTER. THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY
My schedule is roughly every 4 hours 9 a.m. 1 p.m. 5 p.m. it doesn't sound like you're using pure l-dopa powder. I only take 3/8 of a teaspoon you mentioned a half a tablespoon that's a big difference! If I took a half a tablespoon of my stuff I'd be walking on the moon! Nutrivitashop.com sells small quantities of l-dopa powder. Why don't you try it and see how it works for you. If you do start off with just one eighth of a teaspoon and see how that works.
How many years have you had Parkinson's? Are you taking it with green tea?
I have had pd since 2011 or before. Have not taken it with green tea.
It works well in coffee as well. Make sure you don't eat for roughly 40 minutes after you take it. What kind of mucuna are you using?
This resource may be helpful to you. It is written by a neurologist, intechopen.com/books/parkin....
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you! The link won't open but I'll go to their website
Great post..I've saved it, and keep returning to it !
Hi Stevenmast. I just read your post because I’m researching how to add Mucuna to my C/L protocol so that I can avoid more C/L when I increase my dose. I looked up Nutri Vita and the product listed is a bag of L Dopa 100% pure levodopa Mucuna Pruriens dopamine for $19.95.
Is this the product you use? The label on my iPad is blurry so I can’t get any further information from the website.
Thanks for the information!
Yes that is it but be aware it's a small bag the picture makes it look larger. It's perfect if you are just testing it. I buy the 250 gram bag last me almost 4 months
Very helpful practical approach & tips as I start using MP myself- thanks @Stevenmast
This is an everlasting great post. Thanks Steve. Gotta get it to the front lines again for those that missed it.
Good morning Ernie! Thanks! Are you suggesting I repost it?
Good morning Steven! Yes please do.
How much water do you mix with your tea? Thanks so much!
I make a 32 oz Mason jar of Matcha green tea and when I mix with mucuna I only use about 4 oz
Hi Steven. Wonderful post. Thank u. Hope you are keeping well in these weird times. I just bought Mucuna full spectrum 10:1 extract capsules 250mg. From Paradise brand. I wonder is this too much? It says 15% l dopa...I got what i could afford and was at hand. How do u mrassure 3/8th teaspoon? My smallest is 1/4...
What I take Is claimed to be 98.6% L-dopa What you have maybe more of the bean Compounds and other ingredients. The point I am making Is It doesn't have as much L-dopa as what I am taking So you may need to take more of it. That said, I would start off with a small amount and see how it works for you. I weigh the mucuna as well so 1/8 of a teaspoon of what I'm taking weighs roughly 330 mg. When were you diagnosed and how bad are your symptoms?
Any natural source of Carbidopa to take along with mucuna pruiens 
Matcha to Mucuna Ratio?
Mucuna Pruriens 
Heart racing and Mucuna
