Dear Lisa Carper and others interested in Mucuna plant
 
Typing is getting very difficult /what isn't difficult for a 16 year parki!
thus the shortage of information in my first message. But others wrote
more and I am reposting  their letters from the list  so that everything
is in one place.
first- Lisa's request for information
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Date:    Sat, 21 Oct 1995 07:27:57 -0400
From:    Lisa Carper <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: See CBC the Nature of Things
 
For those of us not in Canada, please share what you saw on the show.
 
>CBC Thursday night November 19  "the Nature of Things"
>Did anyone see the interesting segment on Parkinson's
>  and alternative medicine/ancient medicine.
>In my opinion the beans being harvested looked very like
>fava or broad beans which we know contain L-D.
>Any one out there quicker than me with the RECORD button?
>Any one know about this ancient Indian medicine?
>Anne Rutherford  St John's NF
 
What I saw.
The program I didn't tape was The Nature of Things, shown on CBC 19 Oct
95.
The general topic was 'nature provides substances which can be used to
treat illness'. Parkinsons was probably chosen because of the excellent
visual impact of the 'take up your bed and walk' variety.
 
First scene
A western parkinsonian in  the OFF state is given medication in pill
form.
Time goes by --maybe 30 minutes plus or minus.
He gets up and walks with a great big smile on his face.  (I know that
feeling)
 
Next scene is in India.
We are introduced to the ancient Ayervedic medicine which is still used
today.
A parkinsonian has great difficulty  with walking (and balance, I think)
He is given a drink made out of a powdered substance mixed with a liquid,
and we wait maybe half an hour .
The patient walks very well, moving quickly and with better posture.  He
also smiles.
During this segment we see the mucuna plants being harvested. and as I
said in my message the seeds  look very much like broad beans in the pod.
This topic ends and we go to another.
 
Recent postings  by other listmembers on this topic follow
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Date:    Sun, 22 Oct 1995 00:03:08 -0400
From:    "Dave Stuart ([log in to unmask])" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Mucuna
 
Date:    Fri, 20 Oct 1995 11:05:04 -0300
From:    mckinney <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Makuna
 
       I am writing on behalf of my wife who was diagnosed two years ago
with PD.  This evening we watched "The Nature of Things" on Canadian
television and were interested to find it featured the subject of natural
remdies for various diseases.
       One possible natural aid for relief from Pd symtoms was a vegetable
like plant grown in India  called the Makuna ( I am not sure of the exact
spelling).
 
It was a pod type of plant something like a pea pod.  The pods were ground
to powder and mixed with a liquid and swallowed as a drink by the Parkinson
patient.  In a half hour there seemed to be notable improvement in the
mobilty and steadiness of the individual involved.  At that point in the
program the subject changed and another remedy for another area was
discussed.
 
    It was my impression that the Makuna plant was more effective and  was
comparable to several drugs taken by conventional standards. Sixteen out of
twenty patients experienced improved results.   My question is:  Has anyone
else heard of this treatment and where if at all would this remedy be
available? Health food stores maybe?     Bob
 
Bob and All,
 
I have been using Mucuna for about six months with very good, postive
efffectiveness.  See my posting on  Wed. 18 Oct 1995  13:53:08  -0400
for a
little more about my experience with it.
 
Dave Stuart([log in to unmask])
10-21-95
 
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Date:    Wed, 18 Oct 1995 13:53:08 -0400
From:    "Dave Stuart ([log in to unmask])" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: My Experience Using Herbs
 
I am new to this list so hope that I am doing this right.
I have had PD for 17 years and am now 60.  I have used both traditional and
alternative approaches to managing the PD.  In the herb area, I was recently
(about six months ago) directed to an ayurvedic herb frim India called Mucuna
Pruriens (in English it is called Cow-itch).  It comes as a redish brown
cake.  It has to be pulverized and encapsulated.  My experience is that it
acts as a very mild Sinemet but is quite effective.
 
Has anyone else used it?  If so, what has your experience been?
 
Dave Stuart([log in to unmask])
 
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Date:    Tue, 24 Oct 1995 20:42:47 EDT
From:    Joan Dykstra <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Mucuna & Fava Beans
 
        There have been various comments and questions regarding Mucuna and
fava beans.  These are two very different substances:
 
        The seed of the Mucuna pruriens (cowhage plant) is made into a powder
to be used as a drug (called Atmagupta) to be used as a treatment for
Parkinson's Disease.  (This is a part of Ayervedic medicine.)  The side
effects are mild and infrequent and the drug is well tolerated.  The
therapeutic effect is
attributed to the L-Dopa content and possibly some other constituent, as
yet unknown.*
 
        *Vaidya AB, Rajagopalan TG, Mankodi NA, Antarkar DS, Tathed PS,
Purohit
AV, Wadia NH. "Treatment of Parkinson's disease with the cowhage plant -
Mucuna pruriens Bak.  Neurology (India)  1978; 26:171-6.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
        The Fava bean (Vicia faba), sometimes called Broad bean is
consumed as a
bean (usually boiled).  In 1913 Guggenheim identified L-DOPA in the
seedlings,
pods, and beans of this plant.  Improvement of parkinsonian features have
been
seen after consumption.  It is my understanding that it takes lots and
lots and
pods, and beans of this plant.  Improvement of parkinsonian features have
been
seen after consumption.  It is my understanding that it takes lots and
lots and
lots of beans to make a difference. **
 
        **Adv Neurol 1993;60:681-4
                and
          J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1992 Aug; 55 (8):725-7
 
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End of copied postings on this very interesting topic.
 
Any one else with experience of Ayervedic medicine?
 
Anne Rutherford  St John's NF  <<<[log in to unmask]>>>