Mucuna Pruriens and Testosterone: Benefits of This Amazing Bean
Mucuna Pruriens And Testosterone
In keeping with my vision to bring to you the most reliable and scientifically backed natural methods to boost testosterone, today I wanted to talk about a wonder-drug of mother nature, Mucuna Pruriens.
Wonder drug of mother nature?
Although not exactly a drug, it’s close enough to be one even though it’s actually just a bean. It is also known as the Velvet Bean. It grows in pods on trees in the tropical regions of India and Africa.
And it seems its entire existence is built around “good feelings”, as even its pods are covered in serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter responsible for mood stabilization in the brain.
Apart from having a high concentration of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and minerals; Mucuna Pruriens is also rich in saponins, alkaloids, and sterols.
And most importantly, they have a solid punch of L-DOPA (levodopa).
The “feel-good” neurotransmitter dopamine cannot be administered as a supplement, as it does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
L-DOPA, however, is able to cross this barrier and then is directly converted into dopamine. This obviously is a huge benefit for men as dopamine is very important for both motivation and testosterone levels.
There is, of course, a lot more these beans have to offer.
Mucuna Pruriens Benefits In A Nutshell
Before I move into the scientific studies that have put Mucuna Pruriens on the radars of T booster enthusiasts, let me just quickly list some of the awesome benefits it can promise:
It has an androgenic effect, directly increasing testosterone levels.
It increases muscle mass.
Drastically raises the volume of sperm and improves its quality in infertile men.
It generates an increase in dopamine and a subsequent increase in general well-being.
Has a long reputation for being able to increase testicle size.
Mucuna Pruriens and Testosterone: What are the Benefits?
In her book Herbal Secrets of the Rainforest, Leslie Taylor shares extensive research that points to Mucuna Pruriens having an androgenic effect, which stimulates testosterone production.
She also writes about the research which has validated Mucuna Pruriens as a proven natural alternative to L-DOPA supplements.
The research showed that Mucuna Pruriens use resulted in all the benefits the pharma supplements had, but without any of the side effects.
The book also talks about how the beans have become very important in the world of natural treatments for Parkinson’s Disease.
Let’s now take a look at some of the studies done on Mucuna Pruriens.
Study # 1
When it comes to the link between Mucuna Pruriens and testosterone this study showed that when infertile men took 5g per day of Mucuna Pruriens for 90 days their testosterone levels increased by 38%.
Study # 2
This research concluded the most important relationship which is the direct conversion of L-DOPA to dopamine.
This conversion to dopamine leads to feelings of wellbeing and also increases testosterone levels by stimulating the release of GnRH.
Study # 3
Sperm quality has also been an area of study when it comes to these Velvet Beans. A study conducted in India took infertile men, with low testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels, and treated them with Mucuna Pruriens.
The results concluded significant improvement in sperm count, testosterone levels, and LH levels.
Study # 4
Another study which validates the previous one in terms of improvement in semen quality added another significant benefit; the ability of Mucuna Pruriens to battle stress.
Apart from increasing the sperm volume by more than 600%, the seed powder administered for 90 days lowered cortisol levels by more than 100%
Both these results were for infertile men, the improvements for fertile healthy men were less pronounced, as would be expected.
The cortisol lowering directly improved stress-related symptoms, boosting testosterone levels and overall health.
Study # 5
While many herbs out there are known to boost testosterone, not many can boast what Mucuna Pruriens can, according to this study.
This research concludes that L-DOPA is an androgen receptor coactivator which makes changes in the androgen-regulated genes.
What that means is that while Mucuna Pruriens is increasing testosterone in the blood, it is also working to stimulate its receptors to absorb and use it better.
Study # 6
Finally, there is a lot of research in the world of L-DOPA about its use as an agent for improvements in cognitive functioning.
The fact that this research establishes a direct relationship between L-DOPA supplement administration and improved vocabulary skills, it can be reasonably concluded that the natural L-DOPA in Mucuna Pruriens would perform even better.
How to Take Mucuna Pruriens?
So now that you know about the whole world of benefits that are resting within this precious legume, how exactly do you go about including it in your diet?
The natural supplement path is the best way to take Mucuna Pruriens, as long as you are confident of the organic and pure nature of the ingredients.
The recommended dosage to start out with is around 200 – 400 mg a day of a high-quality Mucuna Pruriens extract which is standardized to contain at least 10-15% L-DOPA.
You should be careful not to use it with MAO inhibitors, which are present in drugs prescribed for Parkinson’s and depression.
And of course, the other alternative is to consume it as food.
In the food department, there are a few things to watch out for. Eating it raw has its issues – the trypsin inhibitors present in the beans make it difficult for the proteins to be absorbed properly.
Thus cooking is necessary to destroy the trypsin inhibitors. But that is not so straightforward either because excessive cooking damages the L-DOPA content.
A portion of the population can be a bit sensitive to the ingestion of high levels of L-DOPA, which can result in adverse symptoms like nausea, cramping, and hypotension.
For safety measures in the case of such people, about 99% of the L-DOPA can be removed from the beans by soaking it in boiling water and then soaking in cold water.
This removal of L-DOPA due to boiling water is exactly why cooking should be a careful exercise for people who need all the L-DOPA the beans have to offer.
Conclusion
I hope this article has shown you the link between Mucuna Pruriens and testosterone and how this bean can provide many benefits for men.
There are only a few natural legumes out there which offer such immensely diverse and rich benefits as Mucuna Pruriens does, and even fewer with so much scientific literature backing it up.
If you have any male fertility issues or low T levels, Mucuna Pruriens is all set to boost testosterone, increase motivation, increase sex drive, and improve your mood.
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