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.
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The Fava bean (Vicia faba), sometimes called Broad beanis 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
lots of beans to make a difference. **
**Adv Neurol 1993;60:681-4
and
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1992 Aug; 55 (8):725-7
