Use of Mucuna pruriens Powder Instead of Levodopa

If methods of preparation can be sorted out, MP could provide an alternative to levodopa in regions of the world without levodopa access.

There has been considerable interest in the Mucuna pruriens variant utilis (MP) as an alternative to levodopa. MP is a leguminous plant that grows in both tropical and subtropical environments. The MP seed contains levodopa, and Parkinson experts have long encountered patients who have used a MP formulation instead of traditional Sinemet or Madopar.

Investigators examined the safety of a single dose of nonpharmacologically processed MP powder derived from roasted seeds. Each of 18 subjects with Parkinson's disease received in random sequence: dispersible levodopa at 3.5 mg/kg combined with the dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor benserazide (DDCI; the reference treatment); high-dose MP (17.5 mg/kg); low-dose MP (12.5 mg/kg); a pharmaceutical prepar…

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)