Mucuna Pruriens in Anxiety/Depression

Question: AnonymousNovember 13, 2015 at 2:45 PM
What are your thoughts on the herbal supplement, mucuna pruriens, for anxiety/depression? 

Answer: I have personally not been aware of this herb, Mucuna pruriens, till your question. After a quick research I found the following:

The major phenolic constituent of M. pruriens beans was found to be L-dopa (5%), along with 5-indole compounds, two of which were identified as tryptamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine.

The thought is that L-dopa being a precursor of dopamine, thence the different pharmacological effects. (Anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti-oxidant properties). 

I would think that the benefit of this herb would be via 1- the increased production of adrenaline (from the precursor L-dopa), outside the brain, 2- the provision of a significant amount of precursors (tryptamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine), for serotonin peripherally and centrally, and 3- provision of L-dopa to the brain (as it crosses the blood brain barrier), which is a precursor for dopamine centrally. The increased production of adrenalin physiologically, in addition to increased production of serotonin and dopamine centrally should have a positive impact on depression.

In India, the seeds of M. pruriens have traditionally been used as a nervine tonic, and as an aphrodisiac for male virility.

It looks promising logically for anxiety but more so for depression, but I'm afraid I can't endorse its use at this time as I am not familiar with its dosing, its safety profile, purity of preparation, and studies where it has been used for anxiety or depression.

[Ref.- Lampariello LR, Cortelazzo A, Guerranti R, Sticozzi C, Valacchi G. The Magic Velvet Bean of Mucuna pruriens. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2012;2(4):331-339.]