Where to Buy Mucuna Pruriens in Australia – Supplement Review

The use of Mucuna Pruriens supplements is regulated as a “Complementary Medicine” in Australa, under the Therapeutic Goods Administration. While mucuna pruriens extract is not listed specifically on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, several dietary supplements that contain this natural extract have been approved in Australia.

This means that consumers can purchase mucuna pruriens (velvet beans, dopa beans) products in Australia without a prescription. Products are sold by a number of online supplement retailers in Australia, though you may find that it is not widely sold in local health food stores.

Consumers should be aware that importing raw mucuna pruriens seeds into Australia is banned as per the Australian Quarantine Act. This ban does not apply to seeds that are grown domestically in Australia or to finished dietary supplements in which the seed extracts have been processed.

Mucuna Pruriens

Herbal Supplement

Mood

Nootropic

Body -building

How It Works:

• Elevates dopamine & norepinephrine
• Boosts mood, focus & motivation
• Improves stress response & libido

Dosage:

Between 500 - 1000 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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Mucuna Pruriens Use in Australia

Since roughly 1500 BCE, Mucuna pruriens has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a curative and preventive agent. Its main traditional use was as a treatment for kampavata (Parkinson’s disease) symptoms.

It was also used as a male fertility enhancer, a snake bite remedy and an energy booster. Some modern naturopathic doctors in Australia may recommend Mucuna pruriens as a first-choice Parkinson’s treatment, however it has not been approved for this use.

Mucuna pruriens is a natural source of L-dopa (Levodopa), which is the active ingredient in a number of pharmaceutical medications for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The seeds of the Mucuna plant contain 5-7% active L-dopa per dosage, but most supplements are concentrated to contain higher dose extracts.

There is research supporting the effects of mucuna pruriens for male infertility and symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Mucuna is also used for type ii diabetes mellitus symptoms, to enhance mood and to promote focus.

Most of the information regarding the use of this supplement comes from historical or anecdotal evidence. More human research trials are needed to determine the full scope of effects from taking Mucuna pruriens as well as the risk of side effects.

Treating Parkinson’s Symptoms with Mucuna Pruriens

Parkinson’s disease is marked by the inability to produce sufficient levels of dopamine in the brain. The inability is caused by the gradual dying off of neuronal cells in the midbrain’s substantia nigra, where dopamine is largely synthesized.

While there is no known cure for Parkinson’s, and in most cases it is idiopathic, increasing the amount of levodopa available for conversion to dopamine seems to delay the onset of serious symptoms; even as the substantia nigra degenerates.

Once a certain point of degeneration is reached, the substantia nigra can no longer produce adequate dopamine supplies, no matter how much levodopa is available. This is when the most serious Parkinson’s symptoms onset; including drug-induced-dyskinesias, dementia and death.

The natural Mucuna pruriens seed extract available in Australia is roughly 5% comprised by natural levodopa (levodopamine, L-dopa). L-dopa (C9H11NO4) is the precursor of dopamine (C8H11NO2).

Since the 1970s, elevating bioavailable L-dopa levels has been the best available therapy for managing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. However, as with synthetic testosterone replacement, using laboratory-isolated levodopa presents a variety of possible side effects; some of which are very serious and debilitating.

It’s interesting that the levodopa from Mucuna pruriens has been clinically shown to act more quickly than levodopa isolated in labs.

Mucuna Pruriens Antidiabetic Properties

Mucuna pruriens also shows anti-diabetic effects which may reduce secondary symptoms of this disorder. Diabetes was induced to Wistar rats in one clinical study. Significant reductions in blood glucose was noted with all seven different dosage levels of mucuna extract (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100mg/kg of bodyweight).

Velvet bean extract may help to decrease lipid peroxidation and improve overall lipid profiles. M. pruriens may also be effective at reducing the risks of developing obesity, heart disease, coronary artery disease, stroke and other related ailments.

Boosting Testosterone with Mucuna Pruriens

As in many cultures worldwide, record numbers of Australian men are experiencing issues related to chronic low testosterone levels. Sedentary lifestyles, poor diets, lacking hydration, ineffective stress management and other factors are causing long-term symptoms associated with low testosterone.

In order to try and remedy these symptoms, millions of men choose testosterone replacement therapies (TRTs). These injections, creams, tablets and other forms of testosterone may cause serious side effects in some users; including cancer, stroke, coma and loss of vision.

By suppressing another hormone, prolactin, the dopamine-elevating effects of velvet bean supplementation seem to encourage natural increases in testosterone. More research is needed to evaluate the effects of mucuna on natural testosterone levels with long-term use.

Additional Health Benefits

Research into mucuna pruriens shows that this supplement possesses antidiabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antivenom, cardioprotective, neuroprotective and lipid-enhancing properties.

Health benefits from taking mucuna may include:

• Improving skin conditions including psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema;
• Uplifting moods and preventing depression;
• Decreasing cortisol levels in chronically stressed individuals;
• Balancing catecholamine levels of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine;
• Negating the effects of cytotoxins and cardiotoxins to treat poisonous snake bites;
• Upregulating production of hGH (human growth hormone);
• Treating hyperprolactinemia, reducing the onset of gynecomastia, “low T” and other androgenic issues, like alopecia;
• Neutralizing parasitic worm invasions, especially when hosted in the gastrointestinal system;
• Scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and helping to reduce damages sustained by oxidative stress;

Research into this supplement has been relatively limited so far, with most of the studies being conducted on in vitro samples or in animals. Human clinical trials are needed to verify many of these effects.

Is Mucuna Pruriens Safe?

Natural mucuna pruriens seed extracts are believed to be safe, based on the thousands of years of cross-cultural traditional use of this herbal compound. However, the high levels of natural levodopa are a concern for long-term use of this supplement.

Studies show that long-term administration of L-Dopa can cause a number of negative side effects. While short-term use has not resulted in the same adverse effects, it is possible that higher dosages could carry an increased risk of serious negative effects.

Supplementation with Mucuna pruriens in Australia should be discussed with a doctor prior to starting. There are possible drug interactions and other safety concerns for specific groups including pregnant women, diabetics and those with advanced heart disease.

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