The pods of some species are covered in coarse hairs that contain the
proteolytic enzyme mucunain and cause itchy blisters when they come in contact with skin;
specific epithets such as
pruriens (Latin: "itching") or
urens (Latinized Ancient Greek: "stinging like a nettle") refer to this. Other parts of the plant have medicinal properties. The plants or their extracts are sold in
herbalism against a range of conditions, such as
urinary tract,
neurological, and
menstruation disorders,
constipation,
edema,
fevers,
tuberculosis, and
helminthiases such as
elephantiasis. In an experiment to test if
M.pruriens might have an effect on the symptoms of
Parkinson's disease, Katzenschlager
et al. found that a seed powder had a comparable, if not more favourable, effect as commercial formulations of L-dopa, although the trial only consisted of four people per test group.
M. pruriens was found to increase
phosphorus availability after application of
rock phosphate in one Nigerian experiment.
M. pruriens was used in Native American
milpa agriculture.
Mucuna seeds contain a large number of
antinutritional compounds. The most important is L-dopa, which the digestive system of most animals confuses with the amino acid
tyrosine, causing the production of defective proteins. Other antinutrients are
tannins,
lectins,
phytic acid,
cyanogenic glycosides, and
trypsin and
amylase inhibitors, although all these can be removed by long cooking.
M. pruriens may also contain chemicals such as
serotonin,
5-HTP,
nicotine, and the
hallucinogenic
tryptamines
5-MeO-DMT,
bufotenine and
dimethyltryptamine,
Mucuna is not traditionally consumed as a food crop, but some preliminary experiments have shown that if the antinutrients are removed or at least brought down to safe level, the beans can be fed to livestock or people. The L-dopa content is the most important and difficult toxin to get rid of. The seeds must be extensively processed before they can be safely eaten. Diallo & Berhe found the best method was to crack open the seeds and soak them in constantly running fresh water such as under an open faucet for 36 hours, or to put them in a bag and leave in a flowing river for 72 hours, before cooking them for over an hour. Over a thousand people in the
Republic of Guinea were fed a meal of
Mucuna (mixed with many other ingredients) with no obvious ill effects. ==Species==