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Botanical

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna pruriens, or velvet bean, is a tropical climbing legume whose seeds naturally contain L-dopa.

Also listed as Velvet Bean, Cowitch, Werepe, Karara

FertilityStress & MoodSexual HealthCognitionMen's Hormones

What it is studied for

The strongest rated effects first. Bars show the size of the effect, the letter grades the evidence, and each rating lists the studies behind it.

Sperm MotilityFertilityStrongA3 studies
Sperm CountFertilityStrongA3 studies
StressStress & MoodModerateBNo linked study
Male LibidoSexual HealthModerateBNo linked study
Chronic StressStress & MoodModerateBNo linked study
Mood SupportStress & MoodModerateBNo linked study
All 10 rated effectsGrouped by health goal, with the publications behind each rating

Why does Mucuna need extra care?

Its seeds contain levodopa, the same substance used in Parkinson’s treatment. The Dutch public-health institute RIVM could not determine a safe supplement dose and warns about gastrointestinal, involuntary-movement and psychological side effects. 1

Key studies

The most recent publications linked to Mucuna Pruriens's ratings.

EFFECT OF Mucuna pruriens ON SPERM PARAMETERS WITH IDIOPATHIC INFERTILITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW2021Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.2009Effect of Mucuna pruriens on semen profile and biochemical parameters in seminal plasma of infertile men.2008Mucuna pruriens Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Semen in Infertile Men2007

Why people take it

Energy21.4%
Cognition17.5%
Fitness16.2%
Stress & Mood13.1%
Essential Health9.5%
Men's Hormones8.4%

SuppCo community snapshot, 2026-09-28. Reasons for use are not evidence that it works.

Questions people ask

Does the fertility study prove a testosterone benefit for healthy men?

No. The treatment findings concerned men being evaluated for infertility and cannot establish a benefit in healthy users. 2

Can supplement powder replace prescribed Parkinson’s treatment?

The trials used selected preparations and controlled treatment schedules. Variable supplement levodopa content can complicate disease management; they do not establish an interchangeable retail product. 3 4

Does the newer trial erase the earlier safety concerns?

No. The studies involved different populations and treatment circumstances. The favorable findings in untreated patients and discontinuations in advanced disease both matter. 4 5

Sources