I am taking 25/100 C/L every two to two and a half hours, totalling 500 mg a day. I was diagnosed eight years ago. I would like to add Mucuna as I feel that I need a dose increase and would like to avoid more C/L. Can someone direct me to a link on HU that can guide me as to how I go about this? What brands to consider. How it is incorporated into the regime. I find the prospect of doing a search to get all the details difficult as my ability to focus for any length of time is limited.
Thanks!
Related link since I can only guess about this:
healthunlocked.com/parkinso...
Thank you. There’s some good information in that link.
If I were to add MP to my C/L dose, I would figure out which is a reputable brand that sells a product that is 15% L-dopa, then I would start small and work my way up to where it was providing the relief I wanted.
If you buy a product that says it's 100% L-dopa, then it is not MP, it's levodopa.
As you probably know, levodopa from Mucuna isn't better levodopa. Levodopa is levodopa regardless of where it comes from. It's the rest of the plant that you are after.
My understanding is Mucuna is velvet beans. So, you may get more of the actual plant from the actual beans. The fresher the better. Fava (broad) beans have C as well as L.
Why did you choose 15% l dopa?
Why did you choose 15% l-dopa?
I don't currently take Mucuna.
The amount of levodopa found in Mucuna varies depending upon where it's grown and the manufacturing process. Before harvesting, is usually between 2% and 7%. I don't trust or believe supplement manufacturers know with certainty or can control the precise dose of levodopa in their product. Therefore, I don't know If there is a way to precisely measure the dose of levodopa in Mucuna and so believe you have to go by how you feel, which means to start low and work your way up. When I combine that with the belief that it's the rest of the plant, not the levodopa, that makes MP more effective, I would buy a MP product which is close to the natural plant. In other words if you're buying 40% or whatever of levodopa, I think you're at a little more Risk of taking more than you want or need.
I think there's a lot of theories about how to take MP and So maybe you'll hear from others who have different theories.
intechopen.com/books/parkin...
Have you taken mucuna l-dopa in the past?? Regarding your statement about not knowing amounts of L-dopa in a mucuna product, it's my understanding that percentage l-dopa is easily determined within a couple of percentage points by HPLC testing. Am also not sure, but would like to hear, why you believe it is other substances in the mucuna bean that makes the mucuna more effective. I have been unable to find any information regarding that. Am also not sure that that it is true that natural l-dopa is no better than synthetic l-dopa. Am under the belief that natural l-dopa is more effective and has less side effects than synthetic L-dopa. I am in complete agreement though with your statement to start low and build up.
Either the levodopa molecules from a pharmaceutical or plant are identical or its not levodopa, so if one works better, it can only be because of whatever else (among the 400 known and unknown compounds in Mucuna) was ingested with it.
Same principle as with vitamins, i.e., some vitamins work better when absorbed from food/plants than when synthesized and isolated from a petroleum product.
PS. I agree, I doubt there is data that supports my theory as there is scant data on MP, but most of the papers speculate that is the explanation. If one accepts the premise that there cannot be 2 different molecules which are both levodopa, what else could account for it?
Hi MB, there is not a lot of information. And although I've not investigated all the aspects, almost all natural substances are more efficacious than the synthetic versions. In a quick perusal of the scholarly literature, I came across this fairly comprehensive article, (intechopen.com/books/parkin... wherein it is said "We can experimentally induce parkinsonism (unilateral or bilateral) in rodents via certain toxic substances. Used in these trials, levodopa from Mucuna has no side effects and produces an improvement that is double or triple that of the synthetic version [29]."
The article further states that, "The Olympic motto faster, higher, stronger can be applied to Mucuna, because, in comparison to Sinemet, it acts more rapidly (34 minutes instead of 68), produces a greater elevation of the plasma level of levodopa (110% higher), and appears to be stronger (the effectiveness of natural levodopa is double or triple that of the synthetic version). In addition, the improvement achieved is more durable (with Mucuna the “on” phase is prolonged 37 minutes longer than with Sinemet). Therefore, it can be described as citius, altius, fortius… durabilius.
4.6. Twice as effective
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]."
Anyway, I won't bore you with anymore quotes. Suffice it to say, I've tried both brown and white mucuna, and not noticed any quantifiable difference in effect, at least not enough to put up with the unsavory taste of the brown.
Same link as what I posted above.
Yes, I know that.
With mucuna, you don't get the side effects. We use 40% mucuna from Barlowe's herbs. It comes in both powder and capsule forms. It has worked very well for George over the past 5 years.
Whatever works.
Dr. Marty Hinz is the one who discovered the protocol using mucuna pruriens. We started with his mucuna protocol and mucuna product and found it too expensive, so I searched for a reputable firm that manufactured mucuna. There may be variations in the formula, but it hasn't been a problem for George. No side effects. No dyskinesia.
I'm glad it's working for him. That's all that counts. But, skim through the link I posted. Mucuna Pruriens has been around for thousands of years before Marty Hinz was a gleam in his mother's eye.
You do know that ALL these health gurus who sell supplements under their own brand name simply contract with other manufacturers and have their own labels put on. Marty Hinz does not manufacture his own MP.
Thanks. I am not sure about ALL supplements being made by others. We, soon after starting the Hinz protocol, found Tatvia's mucuna, and then went to Barlowe's. I know Barlowe's make their own capsules, and I assume they get it from the same consistent source. As far as I know, after all these years, there has not been a consistency problem.
Yes. You're right. Mucuna has been around a long time.The mucuna protocol he started, balanced the amino acids L-tyrosine and 5-htp for the best results. Check into Barlowe's herbs. I believe there is consistency there.
Hi bepo. Do you use the white or the brown powder? I looked at the website and they have both. They list it as 40% l-dopa. They don’t tell me what quantity you need to take to get the full 650 of MP. It just says 650 mg of MP per serving. Do you know how much the serving is?
Recently, we bought a little inexpensive scale to measure out powder. We use their pre-measured capsules. We have powder, but were measuring it with measuring spoons, and we did not get consistent results. Remember to temper it with L-tyrosine and 5-htp. Where you start depends on your PD status. I believe the brown powder is new for them. We haven't tried it yet.
Why do you need the l-tyrosine and 5-htp?
The serving size depends on your symptoms. I can share with others how we started in 2014-15. I will have to go back to my records, and compare it to where someone's individual status is. It is all adjustable.
It is best to use a high accuracy scale, but Barlowe's sells both the brown and the white mucuna 40% in 650mg capsules - so you could always buy a bottle and split open a capsule to see how much of a teaspoon 650mg is. Am guessing somewhere around a quarter teaspoon.
What is the difference between the brown and the white?
According to Barlowe’s, the white contains 40% Ldopa and dextrin as the carrier. Brown has same 40% Ldopa and Mucuna as the carrier.
Why would anyone want the white with the dextrin?
The brown powder is new. We have taken the white for years.
I don't know, but Barlowe's says white sells more than the brown.
Does George take C/L as well as the Mucuna?
George only takes mucuna with the amino acids.
My husband takes half a teaspoon of Pure Selva 100% Mucuna bought from Ebay Uk to bring him 'on' just before his Sinemet and it works very well. Like everything in PD it takes experimentation.
I have experimented with MP but to no avail - my PD may have got worse, it was certainly no better.
There again, you have to experiment with the dose. Everyone requires a different dose. Start slowly. If you don't see positive changes increase the dose.
Is there any advantage in using powder versus a capsule for MP?
The powder is cheaper. Get a scale that goes down to .25 mg. You can put in pint jars with some water, and it is portable. George didn't do as well on the powder. That is before we ha the scale. We might try it again because we have a reliable scale.
My husband has an excellent response with Pure Selva. I have a measuring spoon and add liquid to it but I also make it into ice cubes with the correct measured dose and get one out to melt before it is needed. My husband has had PD for 26 years aswell.
Am I correct that you need to take the Mucuna at the same time as the C/L so that you get the Carbidopa from the C/L for absorption? Otherwise you need to take it with green tea?
My husband has taken mucuna alone for the last 5 years. We don't like how you have to increasing pharma meds and then they don't work. Natural mucuna is what I believe in. We are our own doctors, and shared the dosing with physicians after we experimented with the different doses.
Thanks for the information, JeanieBeanie.
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