These two are discussed quite frequently on the forum so I decided to do some reading about them. Some members have reported better effects with Mucuna Pruriens (MP) while others are quite happy with Levodopa (L-Dopa) and see no need to to try anything else. Some on this forum have mentioned previously that MP is the same as L-Dopa, but this is only partially correct and is reflected in the following study showing that MP may actually perform better than L-Dopa with quicker onset of action and extended "on time" that is increased by 21.9% over L-Dopa.
So, based on the study link above, MP would appear to have effects that L-Dopa does not, but if they are both just levodopa, how can that be? MP is a plant based form of L-Dopa and L-Dopa is a one component prescription drug. MP, like all other plants, contains many other components, one of which is L-Dopa. One of the other components contained in MP is Ursolic Acid (UA). UA is an interesting supplement that I have tried before. The following link confirms that MP has Ursolic Acid (UA) in it as well as Betulinic acid (BA). Both of these components have neuroprotective effects that L-Dopa does not and they have also shown other health benefits that L-Dopa alone does not. In Ayurveda, MP has shown health benefits in other disease states and health conditions as outlined in the following link, making it a little clearer why MP may be more effective for PwP.
This link shows the benefits of UA as might apply to PwP, but it is clear that these are just a few of the many positive health effects of UA.
In the following study, it is shown that MP also contains Co-Q10 and NADH, two more components that have shown to have neuroprotective effects and antioxidant activities with NADH having potent antioxidant qualities.
The following study suggests that MP has much more activity than just L-Dopa alone and further suggests that MP also """protects or prevents the progression of the disease""".
Given the above information, MP seems like a very good alternative to L-Dopa, while suggesting potential to be significantly more neuroprotective than L-Dopa. In the case of L-dopa, it does not seem to have other potential health benefits for PwP other than the known decrease in some symptoms which varies in each case or so it seems. Even though MP may seem like a good choice over L-Dopa, it is not without its detractions. With L-Dopa, your doctor prescribes the dose and times to take it. The average neurologist is not going to have a clue about MP, even if they are aware of it. So this means you will be pretty much on your own trying to figure out dosing and timing, but this forum may be of benefit in that regard as there are quite a few MP users who have shared their information regarding their use of MP. Here are some more possible health benefits that MP may offer to PwP.
MP is not for everyone as I am sure there are more side effects than listed in the article above. Some people just prefer prescription drugs and MP would not be a consideration for that group. Others like the idea of using a natural plant that may have other health benefits for them that L-Dopa simply can't offer.
As far as dosing, for the most practical experiences it would be useful to ask the other forum members what is working for them.
So the next time someone asks if MP and L-Dopa are the same, you will have the answer, similar, but not exactly the same!
Art
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Art, thanks for your time on this topic. I havenβt read all the attachments yet but will tomorrow. Hereβs my question. I buy without a prescription 99% ldopa from Nutrivitashop. It doesnβt say Mucuna Prurines on the label. Some here say the ldopa in the Sinement is synthetic compared to the extracted version I purchase on line. Others say they are exactly the same thing. Why do you need a prescription for one but not the other if they are the same thing.
I'm not sure, Constance, but I suspect that at the time that L-Dopa came available as a drug (1970), little if anything was known about MP around the world except for people who follow Ayurveda. With a new drug coming out that was probably fairly pricey when it came out, the drug manufacturer was counting on people generally not knowing that a natural herb might offer the same or possibly better effects than their new drug and it would be helpful for that drug manufacturer if MP was never brought to light. With the advent of computers and the internet shortly after introduction of the drug, Levodopa, it is harder to keep that type of information out of the public eye. So when MP started to become more known in PD circles, it required no prescription since it is essentially an herbal supplement.
Clearly, MP and L-Dopa are not the same thing. MP offers neuroprotective effects through other constituents in MP like NADH, Co-Q10 , Betulinic Acid and Ursolic Acid. I just recently read a study that suggested that not only does L-Dopa not offer neuroprotection, but it may actually confer elevated oxidative stress and elevated inflammatory levels, so these two are definitely not the same! I will try and find that study and post it to this thread if I do. Here is one study, not the one I mentioned, but it shows reduced antioxidant status as a result of L-Dopa usage. Excess oxidative stress is a hallmark of PD. L-Dopa, at a minimum does not reduce oxidative stress, but MP does have antioxidative activity. I will try and find the other article.
"... not only does L-Dopa not offer neuroprotection, but it may actually confer elevated oxidative stress and elevated inflammatory levels..." (And raises homocysteine levels.)
The oxidative stress seems like a given based on studies I have been able to read so far and with elevated levels comes increased inflammatory levels. Better studies elucidating exactly how much oxidative stress would be useful, but I can see where it might be a better situation where the treatment either does not cause elevated oxidative stress or increases total antioxidant capacity to at least offset any added oxidative stress since oxidative stress and inflammation are both major driving factors in PD progression already. So adding to these two in any way seems like a bad idea.
Here is a typical study showing that Levodopa increases oxidative stress:
"I just recently read a study that suggested that not only does L-Dopa not offer neuroprotection, but it may actually confer elevated oxidative stress and elevated inflammatory levels, so these two are definitely not the same!"
I presume you are referring to the L-Dopa in MP conferring elevated oxidative stress - or have I missed something and you are using L-Dopa free (0%) MP?
Both Synthetic and levodopa derived from MP. The difference being that MP contains multiple other molecules that can potently reduce the oxidative stress such as betulinic acid and ursolic acid and based on newer studies potentially reduce neurodegeneration and reduce acetylcholinesterase which would be good for PwP.
Once again Art, bless his heart, does an exhaustive job.
To summarize the links, MP acts quicker, last longer, and with fewer instances of dyskinesia then Sinemet. That's because of the synergy that occurs among the 400 other compounds that make up the plant. What is valuable about MP is not the levodopa, it's the rest of the plant.
In other words, the levodopa in MP is not better than the levodopa in Sinemet.
There are a lot of plants that contain compounds that are the same as synthesized pharmaceuticals. Plants are the source of most pharmaceuticals. Needless to say, the FDA has no authority over what plants we put in our mouth -- thank God.
This is same for vitamins. There are a lot of instances where vitamins when taken as a part of the whole plant are more beneficial then the same vitamin when it is isolated, extracted or synthesized.
PS. If by 99%, you/it means 99% levodopa, then it's not MP, it's levodopa. Sounds like you're taking straight levodopa? (Which will not confer the benefits of MP.)
I try to mix it up so I get the best benefits from a variety of products. Iβm going to add the 5-7% Mucuna to my protocol. I think you have to find what works best for you. My protocol varies.
Companies often try to isolate a compound from a plant in the hopes of being able to patent it in order to make their testing worthwhile and profitable toward ultimately producing a new drug to increase the profit for that company. MP is thought to have other benefits such as potentially being an anticancer agent among many other possibilities.
To summarize the links, MP acts quicker, last longer, and with fewer instances of dyskinesia then Sinemet. That's because of the synergy that occurs among the 400 other compounds that make up the plant. What is valuable about MP is not the levodopa, it's the rest of the plant.
Are you sure Marc? Are you sure it's not just that while 25/100 c/L is broadly equivalent to 500mg ldopa it is not directly equivalent. All of the result might have been due to using pure ldopa rather than c/L combined and had nothing to do with the other stuff in mp.
Nobody checked. Sloppy science. Because 500mg of ldopa are Not directly equivalent to 25/100 c/l
"The two doses of the mucuna preparation were chosen to
correspond to either 100 mg (one sachet containing 7.5 g,
that is 500 mg of neat L-dopa) or 200 mg (two sachets
together containing 1000 mg of neat L-dopa) of L-dopa in the
presence of a decarboxylase inhibitor. This conversion factor
was based on published studies comparing clinical and
pharmacokinetic L-dopa effects with and without a decarboxylase
inhibitor.9β13"
So they gave the equivalent of 2 25/100 C/L tablets as a powder, on the basis that was equivalent to 2x500mg of straight levadopa based on published studies
And then they gave MP in 15g or 30g doses, intended to be 500mg l-dopa or 1000mg l-dopa.
So - IF the standard conversion of 5:1 for l-dopa plus a DDCI is valid then the 30g MP should have been equivalent to the 200mg ldopa which is sort of the same as 1000mg of neat l-dopa
But its not of course - all of us metabolize differently.
Very Very broadly 15g MP was least good, 30g MP best, and C/L was between the 2. So my first conclusion would be 30g MP estimated at 1000mg ldopa was NOT an equivalent of 2x 25/100 sinemet. About 23g MP roughly 750mg Ldopa would be the equivalent of 2x25/100 sinemet
But they were comparing apples with pears. Nothing (necessarily) to do with the composition of MP. Based on their tiny sample population and short duration test, the most likely explanation of the results was that their calculation of equivalence of L-dopa neat with L-dopa and DDCI was flawed.
The oral bioavailability of LD is increased 2 to 3 times when co-administered with decar- boxylase inhibitors according to my information. However they are talking even about 5 times here. βSo they gave the equivalent of 2 25/100 C/L tablets as a powder, on the basis that was equivalent to 2x500mg of straight levadopa based on published studiesβ. Do you know what studies that is about?
I could look them up again. It was the standard equivalence. It was the rule of thumb prescribing guidance for conversion of patients from ldopa to sinemet in the original sinemet data sheets.
Patients receiving levodopa
Discontinue levodopa at least 12 hours (24 hours for slow-release preparations) before starting therapy with 'Sinemet'. The easiest way to do this is to give 'Sinemet' as the first morning dose after a night without any levodopa. The dose of 'Sinemet' should be approximately 20% of the previous daily dosage of levodopa.
When the study was done better, in 2017 - they wrote
"Are these
encouraging clinical effects of MP related to some
intrinsic properties that are independent of levodopa9
or merely due to the intake of levodopa alone? The
latter hypothesis is the most probable, as the clinical
response to LD2DDCI overlapped with the effects of
high-dose MP in terms of prolonged on state with
reduced dyskinesias as compared to LD1DDCI."
In other words, pure synthetic LDopa performed the same as MP compared with C/L - so the effect was likely due to the different absorbancy rates of higher doses of LDopa rather than to "intrinsic properties" of MP
"Results: When compared to LD1DDCI, MP-Ld showed similar motor response with fewer dyskinesias and AEs, while MP-Hd induced greater motor improvement at 90 and 180 minutes, longer ON duration, and fewer dyskinesias. MP-Hd induced less AEs than LD1DDCI and LD2DDCI. No differences in cardiovascular response were recorded.
Conclusion: Single-dose MP intake met all noninferiority efficacy and safety outcome measures in comparison to dispersible levodopa/benserazide. Clinical effects of high-dose MP were similar to levodopa alone at the same dose, with a more favorable tolerability profile."
Not really What it says is pure levadopa without carbidopa gave the same results as MP compared with C/L in terms of clinical outcome, but safety and tolerability were different
So - the other stuff in MP made no difference to dyskenesias and on-time durations or other symptomatic relief factors. Pure levadopa compared with C/L was responsible for those differences
Compared with MP - pure levadopa made you nauseas and dose off - so the extra substances in MP prevent nausea and somnolence.
Maybe - because of course, to get a placebo blinding, the "pure" levadopa wasnt pure at all - it was mixed with ground nuts and soluble coffee.
So maybe ground nuts and soluble coffee make you feel sick and fall asleep.
We don't know - that wasn't what was being tested. The trial objective was to find out whether MP was a suitable mono-therapy in developing countries which couldn't afford C/L. And actually, not C/L but B/L - the DDCI they were using as a comparator was benserzide
And it concluded...
Single-dose MP intake met all noninferiority efficacy and safety outcome measures in comparison to dispersible levodopa/benserazide. Clinical effects of high-dose MP were similar to levodopa alone at the same dose, with a more favorable tolerability profile
I'll have a small bet with you - it's Saint Patricks day, the Cheltenham festival, and my birthday - so I usually have a flutter
When my Parkinsons disease is effectively cured, or substantially relieved in a few years time - it will be big Pharma, not mother nature that does it. Big Pharma in the form of Blue rock (Bayer) stem cells, Roger Barkers stem cell therapy (pure research funded by Wellcome foundation), latest trial by Novo Nordisk, Inhibikase IKT-148009, Peter Tass and the stanford gloves - etc
I doubt very much it will be something growing that I have yet to notice
Oh I listed 4 not 2. And could add another 4. Big pharma have produced 1000 times more effective remedies than nature in the last 25 years. Which is not hard, since any number multiplied by zero is zero π
OK. But I don't think PD is going to be cured, as in "made as though it didn't happen". As Simon has pointed out on the science of parkinson's, a "cure" will have at least least 3 elements.
So, if a drug comes along which halts progression, and I still have all my current symptoms and take all my current medication, but I get no worse, ever, - "that's a significant remedy". It's not tinkering with levodopa on-time.
Likewise, if I get a stem cell transplant which "only" completely eradicates my motor symptoms and I never have to take levadopa again - that's "a significant remedy"
Art already answered your question. May I add that L/C is a synthetic form made by pharmaceutical companies in their labs. It's not just Levodopa but also Carbidopa, a med. They pass on the resulted product (Sinemet or what other name they give it) to doctors for prescription. That is how pharmaceutical companies make their profits.
Hi Art! Another excellent post and of great interest to all PwP.
A case report was recently published in which a 48 year old woman with PD experienced a significant improvement in her symptoms when carbidopa was added to the MP dose that she was taking.
That is exactly what our MDS recommended to my husband, add carbidopa to MP. The efficacy and duration of ON time are amazing. Another way to use MP is to add it to 1/2 t Sinemet. The results are also great with this combination. It takes a lot of trial/error though to find the right dose of MP and obviously a reputable company's MP.
Better studies using mucuna pruriens would be useful for helping to determine optimal dosing, but as it is, members on this forum who are using MP are probably a reasonable resource in the mean time, in determining effective brands and dosages.
Hi, I thought maybe that was the case and I asked the Dr here but I guess Australia doesn't px Carbidopa on it's own. So green tea is what my husband uses for now. Just wished it worked as good as Carbidopa supposedly does. Thank you for your response.Cheers
Oh, sorry to hear that. He can also take it with grapefruit juice which extends its bioavailability. If he is on any other meds make sure they are not contraindicated with grapefruit juice consumption.
Oh yes he does take it with grapefruit juice too. I've got him doing so many things these days, its hard to tell if anything is working or not? We will just keep pressing on!
Very comprehensive analysis of MP's benefits - thank you Art!
I've never heard of Ursolic and Betulinic acids - it's good to know about their neuroprotective effects. There is a statement in your second link: "Recently, several clinical trials have been performed on the anti-PD activity of Mp on PD patients that show convincing results." - have you seen any information regarding those trials?
Here is a 2020 study also suggesting increased oxidative stress related to L-Dopa treatment in an animal model of PD.
Here is a quote from the study
>>>The histological and immunohistochemical studies showed that l-dopa caused a remarkable neurodegeneration and increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoexpression in the striatal area.<<<
Following the recent post by Little Willow about her successful experience with MP, somehow I landed on this thread and was surprised to see in the above study the following statement: " Virgin coconut oil co-treatment significantly minimized the harmful effects of l-dopa. In conclusion, the present study revealed that virgin coconut oil provided a notable protection against l-dopa's untoward effects. " How come nobody ever mentioned that? Or have I missed something? Anyway, thank you Art for all generous contributions!
The human equivalent dose of VCO for a person my size would be 18.5 ml. Not the most enjoyable for me, but definitely doable for most.
There are lots of tidbits in these studies, such as this quote from one of the studies in the original post :
>>> ' Thus, by altering these cytokines or transcription factors, Mp protects or prevents the progression of PD. ' <<<
I think the newer studies are looking at MP as a replacement for Sinemet or as an adjunctive to Sinemet in order to obtain maximum benefit by also already having the carbidopa included with synthetic levodopa and then adding the total herbal benefits that MP seems to offer, especially in its pure form, including the potential to improve neurogenic function rather than using something like coconut oil to try and undo damage caused Sinemet alone.
In any case, if these ideas interest you, this forum seems to be a good place to hear about them!
The cited statement is very impressive, Art! I've been experimenting with MP powder and couple of its extracts without much success and thinking of starting C/L as I feel disease progression. Will be looking more into MP treatments - there are still many variables to explore.
Yes, when I see statements like those added in a study, I think that if that is actually the case, then maybe the study should more be aligned to reflect and fully support the specific statement .
What 1LW mentioned is that the MP effect was noticeably improved when combined with a low dose of carbidopa, at least in her case, which was very significantly better than Sinemet which she said was not tolerated at all. One problem is that doctors are not likely going to be willing to just write a prescription for Carbidopa without some justification. In her case, showing the doctor a relevant study was enough to get a prescription for carbidopa.
Nobody that I am aware has ever suggested that levadopa is the same as MP, any more than they would suggest that an orange is identical to a vitamin C tablet.What they have confirmed repeatedly is that the levadopa chemical in MP is identical to the levadopa chemical in LC (sinemet) and therefore any benefit or side effects attributable to the chemical levadopa will be the same in both cases.
In practice the delivery of that chemical is different because LC includes a ddci and MP, includes the plant
So vitamin C helps with hangovers because it is an antioxidant which removes free radicals. The vitamin C in orange juice is chemically identical to the vitamin C in a tablet. But orange juice also contains fructose which speeds up the metabolism of alcohol by 80%
So they're not the same.
MP extract , 100% levadopa from MP DOESN'T have the plant. Just like 100% vitamin C extracted from oranges wouldn't have the fructose.
This sounds about right, Ricardo.The point I was trying to make was that MP is likely as good or better than levodopa. Pretty much what the forum members who have tried MP have reported.
Thank you immensely for the time writing the information - itβs so very usefulIβve been through the links but am unsure of the maximum dosage of LDopa I can take with Mucuna
I have Barlowes at 40% taken 3 times a day.
Would you know by chance know of the maximum dosage recommended
Iβm thinking of Herbal Island - whilst the LDopa extract is lower - as there seems to be more of the other beneficial ingredients
I bought Zandoopa but the packaging was a little suspect so Iβve parked it aside
Hello everyone, thank you a thousand times Art for the enormous work of synthesis that you do on this site.
To obtain 100 or 200 mg of L-dopa, you have to consume 2 to 3 times a day a too large quantity of tropical beans that are difficult to digest. Laboratories therefore reduce the vegetable part of Mucuna:
The consequence of this ethanol process used by the laboratories is to progressively destroy the ayurvedic properties of the bean by concentrating L-dopa at 15%, 30%, 40% or 50% for example. At 50%, the ayurvedic properties are already uncertain. At 100%, nothing remains of the ayurvedic properties.
A better solution is to preserve the natural ayurvedic properties by adding pure L-dopa to your Mucuna containing "naturally" 5 to 7% L-dopa and get the level that suits you best: 30%. 40% or 50% L-dopa with true ayurvedic properties. Many people on this site do so.
Of course with Sinemet or Modopar, we all have at our disposal pure L-dopa + carbidopa or benserazide which are dopadecarboxylase (DDC) inhibitors.
using this formula for Barlowes MP of 650mg @ 40%, 1 capsule would yield 260mg, is that correct?
a different question. is there anything that helps heal the neurotransmitters that have decayed...i know know what the professionals will say, if there was they would have found it already. Yet here we are self medicating, exchanging information.
does anyone have any information on Rhodiola, other than it cant be taken with Sinemet?
You are correct, 260mg levodopa. You may take half a tablet of carbidopa for added bioavailability.
As far as your second question, I am not the right person to ask. However, there are many supplements that help Parkinson's people. Exercise should be your #1 priority in your daily activities. Fast walking or any kind of exercise is the best medicine for PwP.
Thanks for the information. I am one of the unfortunate ones that can not tolerate MP. After a little over two years of following a MP protocol under the supervision of a homeopathic physician I had to switch to traditional Levo/carbo. I had sudden spikes of high blood pressure 2-3 times a day. Frequently it would go as high as 220/100 and happen within minutes. The BP spikes would cause severe nausea and dizziness and lasted about 10 minutes before it would begin to slowly reduce to normal. I was on multiple BP meds and nothing could regulate. The day I stopped MP I stopped the spikes and the BP meds.
Thank you for that feedback and I am sorry to hear that MP was not tolerable for you, but I am happy to hear that C/L is. This makes it clear that MP is not for everyone and it comes down to trial and error to see what will work best for the individual.
MP suggests 1 tsp. 3x/day - after reading about MP - hwp had a negative experience with Levodopa/Carbidopa and I looked for an alternative when I read about MP. Hwp is faring well with MP and it fits with our priority of finding natural options. Thank you for your additional research on MP. I will ensure that I read the articles that you added.
Extraordinary research Art. Your research is so timely as I begin making the transition from C/L to MP using Dopa Mucuna by NOW (15% Mucuna Extract). Tried the Hinz protocol two years ago and it failed. I had experience lots of vomiting, extremely erratic results, and unrelenting dyskinesia. After reading Stenenmast MP instructions, I decided to try MP again. Your deep-dive research confirmed my suspicion that MP would kick in sooner, increase "On time,"and decease dyskinesia. Several of you recommended NOW's Dopa Mucuna. I'm four days into the new protocol and results are looking good. My strategy is to replace 1/2 tab of C/L (50 mg IR) with one capsule of Dopa Mucuna (60 mg L-Dopa) every five days (time to stabilize) until I reach 1/2 or 1/4 tab per dose. Prior to this split test the dose was 2 1/2 tabs 3x/day for a total of 750 mg L-Dopa. I've just ordered Japanese Macha Green Tea to facilitate L-Dopa across the BBB.
This community is awesome. Thanks Art and thanks everyone.
Mark (TigerShark), I am glad to hear you are off to a good start. It would be very helpful to forum members who are interested if you come back with updates on how you are progressing!
l-dopa is C9H11NO4, the same as C9H11NO4 in Mucuna, so the benefits and side effects are the same.
This can't be more wrong.
Everyone should keep in mind that l-dopa is a refined amino acid.
What do we know of refined products historically? - you can effectively deplete yourself of those nutrients taken out (minerals, vitamins, amino acids, etc.).
For an obvious example, when you polish the rice and take out the outer hulls (containing nutrients), you consume mostly the macro processed starch/carb and develop devastating thiamine deficiency called beriberi, a lethal disease that had been described for thousands of years until we discovered vitamins and started fortifying foods. In the case of thiamine, deficiency can occur in a matter of days/weeks. So, does it sound right when you say the benefits/cons of eating polished rice vs the whole grain are the same (glucose=glucose)? Absolutely not, and the analogy should apply to any form of forced amino acid out of balance.
Some level of processing is needed and beneficial for MP - seeds and beans almost always contain some level of antinutrients such as phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, and other substances that bind and block absorption. Some people will be more sensitive to such compounds than others depending on their status and sensitivity. The antinutrients are much lower in standardized extracts than in the whole bean products with less consistent l-dopa content by batch.
"All germplasms had high levels of total phenols and phytate, trypsin, and chymotrypsin inhibitor activities, but were low in tannins, saponins, and Ξ±-amylase inhibitor activity. "
"Anti nutritional substances such as total free phenolics, tannins, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, phytic acid, hydrogen cyanide, trypsin inhibitor activity, oligosaccharides and phytohaemagglutinating activity were investigated. The anti-nutritional fatty acid, behenic acid, also was detected in the present study."
Rescuers, could ldopa be fortified? Maybe that question makes no sense so Iβll ask this. If you took Mucuna Prurines 5% along with ldopa 99% could that limit the depletion of nutrients.
Yes, we should all "fortify" as much as we can (if possible through tests) given the many modern environmental factors causing nutrient displacement and deficiencies, but that also depends on your diet and your ability to absorb the needed nutrients. The majority PWP have gut issues and lack the ability to absorb nutrients even with a proper diet, so supplementing will be helpful, keeping a close eye on serotonin deficit (5-HTP) induced by l-dopa*. I do prefer the idea of using mucuna on top of sinemet (depending on the need), just as Despe is doing under Dr. Mishley. The more l-dopa you intake, you need to monitor your homocysteine level, especially for p5p, b9 and b12 deficiencies.
After this post provided clarity to the difference between ldopa and Mucuna, Iβve completely changed my protocol only using ldopa once a day and Mucuna twice a day. Hoping to limit the potential oxidative stress ldopa can cause and furthering the nuero protective qualities of Mucuna. Thanks team!
>>>Thus, by altering these cytokines or transcription factors, Mp protects or prevents the progression of PD.<<<
The above was a sentence from a study abstract link in the original post above that could have been easily missed, but seems very important in the comparison between MP and L-Dopa!
I love MP but no matter how much I took or what version of what I was taking the vomiting just made made it worse. I have been taking levo/carbidopa over the past month and a half or so and actually the symptoms get worse. Plus my off times goes far longer than my on times with L/C. The MP helped the symptoms but again the vomiting was just too much.
When you mentioned that most neurologists donβt even know what MP is I started to laugh because when I mentioned it to the nurse practitioner and the doctors they thought I said AhKuna Matata LOL
I just got done doing a bit more reading about Mucuna Pruriens (MP), and I was not prepared for the information contained in the article link below. It turns out that MP is useful for much much more than just acting as a substitute for Levodopa as it contains many other active components, a few of which I named in the original post to this thread.
MP ( a legume) has mainly been used as a major component of the Ayurvedic medicine system. Overall, I would describe this article as a must read for PwP who are looking for useful alternatives to levodopa or even PwP who are not, because this article seems to be a real eye opener in my opinion.
MP can be useful for relieving or treating many health conditions (over 200) such as the following, but keep in mind that many of these studies were animal studies and may not translate to humans, but the potential seems clear :
1. Diabetes
2. Increasing libido in men and women as well as semen quality
3. Epilepsy
4. Gastric mucosal lesions
5. Stress reduction
6. Can act as a diuretic
7. Parasites
8. High cholesterol- In rats it lowered cholesterol by 61%
9. Snake bites
10. Increases Growth Hormone
11. Increases muscle mass
12. Increases the adaptation and regeneration of tissues in general
13. In humans it delays the onset of diabetic nephropathy
14. Helps improve diabetic neuropathy and enhances recovery
15. Reduces glucose in rats by 39%
16. PD
17. MP has antioxidant qualities
18. MP has neuroprotective qualities
19. An important point in animal studies is that MP dose does not increase over time
20. Other components of MP have shown the propensity to treat, alleviate or prevent neurological diseases such as AD or vascular dementia
Here is an interesting quote from the article :
>>> ' We have seen that the Mucuna seed extract naturally contains levodopa. If we quantify and compare it to the same dose of synthetic levodopa contained in tablets of Sinemet (or Madopar), we find that levodopa from Mucuna is approximately twice as powerful in controlling parkinsonian symptoms [31]. '<<<
Here is the link to this very interesting article regarding MP for PD :
Zandopa is also discussed along with another concentrated form of MP.
MP is not without its detractions and these are discussed in this article also.
Also included is a discussion on dosing.
The use of Benserazide or Carbidopa in conjunction with MP is also discussed to enhance the effects of MP.
There is also discussion on the use of green tea with MP as well as cautions on how green tea can very significantly increase the potency of MP. As is fairly well known, the article discusses how green tea has Carbidopa like effects when it comes to MP.
Overall, I felt this article was enlightening and worth the read for those interested in MP!
The following very brief abstract suggests another potential effect of MP that may not be seen in levodopa, anti obesity effects. Well at least in rats :
This study evaluated the effect of Mucuna pruriens (MP) administration on neuroinflammation and behavioral and murinometric parameters in obese rats. Proximate composition, oligosaccharide and phenolic compound profile of MP were determined. Wistar adult male rats were randomized into healthy (HG) and obese group (OG). The HG consumed a control chow diet while OG consumed a cafeteria diet for eight weeks. Then, they were subdivided into: Healthy (HG); Healthy with MP administration (HGMP); Obese (OG); Obese with MP administration (OGMP), with the consumption of the respective diets remaining for another eight weeks, in addition to gavage with MP extract to supplemented groups (750 mg/kg weight). MP presented a composition rich in proteins and phenolic compounds, especially catechin, in addition to 1-kestose and levodopa. Supplementation reduced food intake, body weight, and thoracic and abdominal circumferences in obese rats. MP showed anxiolytic and antidepressant effects and reduced morphological damage and expression of interleukin 6 in the hippocampus of obese rats. MP treatment showed satietogenic, slimming, anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, besides to minimizing hippocampal neuroinflammation in obese rats. Our results demonstrated the potential anti-obesity of MP which are probably related to the high content of bioactive compounds present in this plant extract.
These two recent studies (mid 2022) add further suggestion to the idea that Mucuna Pruriens (MP) may be superior to synthetic levodopa via its acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effects, neuroprotective effects and it potential use for other neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS, stroke and AD :
' Long-term use of synthetic L-dopa can cause serious side effects such as dyskinesia and abnormal involuntary movement. A search for more effective treatment with lower side effects is significant for improving the quality of life of Parkinsonβs patients taking this drug. In this study, we reported the dual effects of M. pruriens seed extract on neuroprotective effect and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity at specific doses. Our findings suggested that M. pruriens seed extract is an attractive candidate for neuroprotection and preventing dyskinesia induced by cholinergic neuronal excitability in dopaminergic-depleted striatum.'
' In this review, the effect of Mucuna pruriens on ameliorating the neurodegeneration evident in PD, AD, ALS and stroke is briefly discussed. The potential targets for neuroprotection by the plant are delineated, which can be studied further to validate the hypothesis regarding the use of Mucuna pruriens for the treatment of these diseases. '
To update and add to the idea that mucuna pruriens (MP) can significantly extend on time when compared to C/L, this March 2024 clinical trial indicated a two fold increase in on time as well as no increased dyskinesia as discussed here :
Here is a relevant quote from the clinical trial :
' Each patient received a single dose of 100/10 mg LD/CD tablets and 11 g of MP reagent. Results Among the seven patients with PD, MP prolonged the ON time 2-fold compared to LD/CD. The LD concentrations after MP intake were higher than those after LD/CD intake, whereas dyskinesia did not increase. '
Based on previous studies, the multitude of other components in MP may at least be partially responsible for the improved on time without increased dyskinesia.
Based on other reports on this forum, Carbidopa is likely to be additive to the effects of MP, similarly to the way it is additive to the effects of levodopa in C/L, as discussed here :
' We present a 48-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease in whom carbidopa was added to Mucuna pruriens, resulting in marked motor improvement (documented on video and using MDS-UPDRS motor scores). This case report shows that adding a dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) to Mucuna pruriens could fit well in a personalized approach for patients who are reluctant to start levodopa. '
The main problem is finding a doctor who is willing to prescribe just Carbidopa for use with MP, but it has been done.
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LEVODOPA VERDICT: Start Early/Late = Same Outcomes
CoQ10 / Ubiquinol : In this post I will be compiling information about CoQ10 & Ubiquinol 
