MUCUNA PRURIENS : DOPAMINE BEAN

Higher levels of Dopamine have been linked with a feeling of joy, bliss as well as providing good sleep and balanced hormonal function. Mucuna has a reputation for lifting mood and enhancing sexual function. It is also increasingly being described as a "Jing Tonic". In Oriental medicine it is known to build "Jing", basically the energy stored in our kidneys, known to provide us with vital energy and primordial function. Also closely related to the energy within our DNA and overall constitution. Mucuna nourishes that connection, enlivening a very deep aspect of our soul.

- Extensive research has demonstrated Mucuna pruriens may reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms. L-Dopa in Mucuna pruriens is the main active component that can reduce in the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease [R].

- Studies have shown how Mucuna pruriens may help with depression. We talk about serotonin and norepinephrine much more often than about dopamine when it comes to depression. But scientists are starting to realize than dopamine, usually associated with motivation and feelings of reward, may play an equally important role.

It’s not so much that low dopamine, can trigger low mood. Rather, its deficiency in specific parts of the brain, and gut, can trigger depressive symptoms. Low dopamine in the brain’s emotional centers (mesolimbic), can cause the inability to feel pleasure, which is common in depression. Low dopamine in cognitive (mesocortical) areas can trigger a lack of motivation that people with depression also often suffer from [R+]. Animal studied have shown how its dopamine-boosting action, a Mucuna pruriens extract improved mood and symptoms of depression in mice. It also reduced their stress levels, showing all the desired characteristics of a good antidepressant [R].

- Mucuna p. seed powder reduced psychological stress and cortisol levels in 60 infertile men after 3 months. (Studies also showing how it helps improve male fertility!) This plant may help better manage stress, but this is limited to infertile men and may be linked to its fertility-enhancing benefits [R].

- Mucuna p. may help lowers high prolactin levels. High Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH) and prolactin levels signal that the pituitary gland is not functioning properly and can impair the function of the testes and reduce fertility in men. Mucuna pruriensdecreased prolactin and FSH levels in two clinical trials of over 250 infertile men. Mucuna probably balances these hormones by boosting dopamine levels, which reduces the production of prolactin and FSH [R, R].

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Ingredients: White Mucuna seed extract powder*