Using Mucuna

[Reginald1]

Hi, I'm looking for information on Mucuna, I often see it mentioned in posts but I am not sure how it works or how much should be taken. At the moment I am taking 1gram of B1 each morning. Can these vitamins be taken together? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Hidden]

There is an information paper, Mucana, in the FILES.

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"parkinson's thiamine hcl"

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Parkinson's Relief, Questions and Answers

[karolmilk]

Put this in your browser, intechopen.com/books/parkin... . The index is at the end.

[reedboat2]

Since diagnosis 2 years ago I've been using Mucuna instead of Sinemet with good results. I currently take Barlowe's 40%, 4 capsules per day, one every 6 hours. I don't think Mucuna interacts with Thiamine but I have no information on that.

[cshamb]

I take Mucuna as directed by a Doctor of Aryvedic medicine. Read Mucuna verses Parkinson. Treatment with natural levodopa by Gonzalez Maldonado, Rafael it is full of information about the benefits of Mucuna. I also take B1 and seminet, although I am hoping to decrease the seminet eventually. Hope this is helpful.

[KERRINGTON]

I take them together...I think they compliment each other.

[SuperMNew]

I understand your misery! Why not start with a doctor's excellent book, "MUCUNA VERSUS PARKINSON: Treatment with Natural Levodopa" by Dr. Rafael Gonsalez Maldonado, Neurologist. You can find the book on Amazon, I presume. That's where I found mine. Get informed. RLS is not caused by the same thing in all people. Parkinson's seems to me to be an advanced form of RLS. Just my thoughts.

[CaryAgge]

Hi. I too agree that you should read until you are comfortable before using Mucuna. But to start you off, here is some brief information from my own experiences. I am not a doctor, only a PWP that has been using Mucuna for over a year. All disclaimers apply.

Mucuna is a supplement that contains ldopa, the same substance found in Sinimet (the gold standard prescription drug that treats PD) , and the substance that PWP need in order for our brains to produce the dopamine that we are difficient in. Mucuna is natural, unlike Sinimet, so it is felt to be better for you.

Any form of ldopa that you ingest must cross the blood brain barrier and get into the brain before it can be effective in treating symptoms. So taking Mucuna will introduce ldopa into your system, and MAY help your symptoms.

Now, I say MAY because there are more considerations. For many, ldopa is not readily transferred into the brain. It is a very individual thing. For many, the dose of Mucuna required to get sufficient ldopa into their brain is so high, that the side effects (mainly nausea) caused at that level, make it a challenge. To address the nausea if you get it, additional supplements can be taken which results in a more involved course of treatment that takes time to develop.

In addition to ldopa, Sinimet has something called Carbidopa which helps the ldopa get into the brain. For this reason, Sinimet is generally more effective than Mucuna at alleviating symptoms. However, Carbidopa is thought by some healthcare practioners to cause long term side effects. Some who have been using Sinimet for years, have not had that experience and think differently. I mention only for information.

So Mucuna can be VERY effective but the only way to know the effect Mucuna will have on you is to try it. Not having had any prescription drugs to date, I would stick with the B1 and start with a small dose of Mucuna in pill form. You may be able to tolerate small doses and it may be all you need.

Hope this helps.

[Reginald1 in reply to CaryAgge]

Thanks that information was very helpful.