Mucuna Recent Studies

The above-mentioned works threw up a challenge to learn more about this miracle pant.

• In 2003, researchers Tripathi and colleagues, reported on the anti-oxidant properties of Mucuna pruriens in the journal Phytotherapy
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  Research. Alcohol extracts of the seeds of Mucuna pruriens were found to reduce levels of free radicals as well as oxidative stress in albino rats, proving the anti-oxidant properties of the plant.
• Manyam came up with another work in 2004,
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  which showed the neurorestorative benefits of Mucuna pruriens. This study conducted on brain models of animals was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, 2004.
• In 2005, Y. Rajeshwar and colleagues of the Department of
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  Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, India reported on a methanol extract of Mucuna showing effects that were anti- epileptic, anti-neoplastic, anti-oxidant and anti-microbial against Gram- positive and Gram-negative bacteria. This was published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
• Aswar and colleagues of the Department of Pharmacology, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, India, in 2006, reported that a methanol extract of Mucuna was found to have a counteracting effect on catalepsy (a condition characterized by lack of stimulation to external stimuli as seen in cases of schizophrenia), in animal models. This, the scientists say, proved the advantageous in combating Parkinson's disease. The report was published in the online journal, Pharmacologyonline.