Mucuna pruriens Seeds - Beautiful Indigenous Climber - Itching Powder Ethnobotanical - NEW

Mucuna is a genus of around 100 accepted species of climbing vines and shrubs of the family Fabaceae, found worldwide in the woodlands of tropical areas. Mucuna pod hairs are a common ingredient in itching powder which makes it a curiosity plant. On the other hand, it is also of ethnobotanical importance. The hairless parts of certain species are used by some South American shamans to make an entheogenic snuff. Presence of the hallucinogenic tryptamines 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenine and dimethyltryptamine, and supposedly the beta-Carboline 6-MeO-Harmane has been confirmed in Mucuna pruriens, apparently the only thoroughly researched species thus far.

The plants are used in herbalism against a range of conditions, such as urinary tract, neurological and menstruation disorders, constipation, edema, fevers, tuberculosis, ulcers, Parkinson's disease and helminthiases like elephantiasis. Velvet Bean, Mucuna pruriens is one of the most important sources of L-dopa, a common component of nootropics ("smart drugs"); it also contains serotonin, 5-HTP and nicotine.

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume commonly known as Velvet Bean, Donkey Eye, Cowhage, Cowitch, Monkey Tamarind, and Buffalo Beans. It is found in Africa, India and the Caribbean. The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. It has value in agricultural and horticultural use and has a range of medicinal properties. The plant is an annual, climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 m in length. When the plant is young, it is almost completely covered with fuzzy hairs, but when older, it is almost completely free of hairs. In spring it bears gorgeous purple, lavender and/or white flowers which are followed by hairy seedpods. The seeds of this species are classified as drift seeds. They do not sink in water and will float down rivers, streams and even across oceans to germinate elsewhere.