Phytochemistry and pharmacological activity of Mucuna pruriens: A review

Abstract

The plant Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae) is an established herbal drug, widely known as "velvet bean," a vigorous annual climbing legume originally from Southern China and Eastern India, where it was at one time widely cultivated as a green vegetable crop. It has been shown that its seeds are potentially of substantial medicinal importance. The ancient Indian medical system, Ayurveda, traditionally used M. pruriens, even to treat such things as Parkinson's disease. M. pruriens has been shown to have antiparkinson and neuroprotective effects, which may be related to its antioxidant activity and used for the management of male infertility, nervous disorders, and also as an aphrodisiac.