Mucuna Pruriens is a natural plant extract that contains L-Dopa which can increase dopamine levels in the brain.
Depending on your reasons for using this supplement, different Mucuna Pruriens dosages will be recommended.
This ancient, plant-based remedy has been used as a folk remedy for countless generations.
Known to improve mood and mental energy, extracts of the plant are now widely used to treat emotional imbalances ranging from light to severe.
How should you use this natural extract in order to achieve maximum benefit for mental and emotional wellbeing?
Read on to find out how to safely take this supplement plus similar mood enhancers to improve your quality of life. We’ll also touch upon safety warnings and overdosing.



- Elevates dopamine & norepinephrine
- Boosts mood, focus & motivation
- Improves stress response & libido
Mucuna Pruriens: An Ancient Plant Remedy Comes of Age
Related Topics
The original usage of Mucuna Pruriens was as an antidote for snakebite.
Whether or not it was actually able to detoxify snake venom is unknown.
It is more likely that the mood enhancing properties of the plant soothed the shock and panic of snakebite victims.
It has long been known that the Caribbean-native Mucuna Pruriens plants, which can grow to 15 meters, contain significant amounts of L-Dopa (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) in their small seeds.
These seeds can be treacherous to harvest and ingest, because the leaves and bark of the plant are highly inflammatory to human skin. Today, the seeds and their contents can be safely harvested by mechanical means. The seeds themselves do not cause skin irritation when handled or ingested.
Modern applications of the seeds are geared towards emotional support and mood balancing. A typical Mucuna Pruriens dosage is more likely to be prescribed for bouts of depression and anxiety than it is for the original uses, which also included treatment for dysentery and tuberculosis.
Mucuna continues to be used as a sexual health aid. It has long been observed to increase libido and enhance sexual performance.
Today, it joins an arsenal of natural supplements for mood enhancement.
Mucuna Pruriens Mechanisms of Action
The main mechanisms of action for a typical Mucuna Pruriens dosage concern what happens to its L-Dopa content once entering the body. L-Dopa is the direct pre-cursor to dopamine, the key neurotransmitter relating to energetic mood, ambition, drive, physical pleasure, and euphoria.
Dopamine itself is not able to cross the blood brain barrier, so even though we recognize its importance for emotional health and energy, it cannot be directly supplemented. Plants which contain dopamine pre-cursors, such as Mucuna, make it possible to increase levels of dopamine in the brain.
Mucuna simultaneously stimulates the other catecholamine hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones increase metabolism and fire faster communication to and from nerve cells. Taking a Mucuna dosage also raises the output of serotonin in the brain.
This neurochemical is responsible for mood, sleep and certain facets of memory. As a mood enhancer, it makes an excellent partner to dopamine. Mucuna is also widely used for its effects upon sexual health.
The seed extract has been observed to increase testosterone production in men, and heighten physical sexual sensitivity in women.
Safe Mucuna Pruriens Dosage Guidelines
How much Mucuna Pruriens powder should be consumed a day for the best results? With a proven track record stretching back many hundreds of years, it appears that the human body is able to tolerate Mucuna very well. Still it is best to stick to the lower end of the recommended Mucuna Pruriens dosage range.
The median dose which most people take is 500 mg per day. Anyone who is new to Mucuna should try a smaller dose, closer to 100 mg, up to 3 times per day. The maximum dose should not exceed 1 gram per day total.
Above this amount, the supplement will be too stimulating for most people, and users may experience some side effects as listed below.
Benefits of Using Mucuna
The overall benefits from a Mucuna Pruriens dosage ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Thoughts become clear and focused, while stress triggers become more manageable.
Mucuna has intense calming properties without being sedative. It staves off social anxiety. It also can ease fears about sexual performance and intimacy. This is one of the chief ways it improves libido.
The improved circulation, dilated blood vessels, and enhanced brain communication all combine to create a sensation of mental energy and clarity in Mucuna Pruriens users. All of these effects are common within general dosage guidelines.
While users report that Mucuna does not create a dramatic “high” like illicit drugs, it does provide a natural, pleasant boost to energy, confidence and pleasure sensitivity, system-wide.
Mucuna Pruriens Overdose and Side Effects
As stated above, Mucuna Pruriens dosages above 1 gram per day are unnecessary and can lead to side effects. These include sweating, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and nausea.
The intended effects of Mucuna – stress relief, help concentrating thoughts, and a refined experience of physical pleasure, could be negated when the dosage is too high. Therefore there is no reason to increase dosage above 1 gram.
To intensify effects safely and naturally, a better option is to add Mucuna to complementary supplements which also favorably impact mood. One common combination is to add Mucuna to L-Theanine, a glutamic acid which has strong anti-anxiety properties.
Thought of as a natural Xanax, this compound also improves serotonin and dopamine production in users. It harmonizes well with moderate doses of Mucuna, and also mixes well with caffeine. However, if the effects become too intense, you should lower doses, or take the supplements independently of one another.
In any case, improved mood and energized sexual performance will be easily attainable, with the support of these natural supplements for emotional health.
- Suresh S, Prithiviraj E, Prakash S. Dose- and time-dependent effects of ethanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens Linn. seed on sexual behaviour of normal male rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009
- Singh AP, Sarkar S, Tripathi M, Rajender S. Mucuna pruriens and its major constituent L-DOPA recover spermatogenic loss by combating ROS, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis. PLoS One. 2013
- Chattopadhyay S, Datta SK, Mahato SB. Production of L-DOPA from cell suspension culture of Mucuna pruriens f. pruriens. Plant Cell Rep. 1994
- Chukwudi NH, Simeon O, Chinyere AJ. Analysis of some biochemical and haematological parameters for Mucuna pruriens (DC) seed powder in male rats. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2011
Article last updated on: April 29th, 2018 by Nootriment
5 Comments
i want to use the natural seeds as there are an abundance where i live and everyone is very much afraid of this plant.
the information above is good for use of the extract, but can you do a comparative presentation using the natural seeds? because my research is showing that there isn’t much of that on the internet
Does it has any age limit to use ?
Not sure where you got your dosage information from. Ayurvedic medicine says 5 – 15g per day of the non-extracted powder.
Hi
I want to give mucuna seeds to my mother as she is suffering from Parkinson’s so please suggest me how to give her seeds along with other medicines that she is already taking for Parkinson’s
Thanks
***********
my husband suffers from Parkinson’s . He is taking 15-20 grams
of the organic powder
per day for almost 3 years . No side effects, but it controls
the tremor.
however it is most important to take Mucuna pruriens together
with a quarter teaspoon of honey, which acts as a medium for
delivering the herb to its intended destination and
enhances the effect.