Mucuna Pruriens and Cortisol
Written by Ben Bunting: BA, PGCert. (Sport & Exercise Nutrition) // British Army Physical Training Instructor // S&C Coach.
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Mucuna pruriens (the "magical velvet beans") is a tropical legume high in L-dopa. It’s a natural source of dopamine, which is reported to boost mood and libido.
Mucuna pruriens has been shown to improve sleep in some studies, as well as to reduce stress and cortisol levels.
L-DOPA
Mucuna pruriens, which is also known as the dopi bean or mucuna seed, contains high levels of L-DOPA.
This is a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates a "feel good" effect in the brain and helps regulate mood and emotions.
It's often referred to as an "adaptogen," meaning that it boosts the body's natural ability to deal with stress and improves focus, mood, and libido.
It has been shown to increase dopamine levels in the brain, which can help relieve Parkinson's disease symptoms, enhance mood and reduce anxiety.
It can also be taken to help alleviate depression and reduce chronic pain.
However, despite its many benefits, there are some downsides to using L-DOPA. First of all, it's not well-absorbed by the body, so oral administration isn't very effective in most cases.
It's also poorly soluble in water, so a lot of it has to be administered for the drug to have any significant therapeutic effects.
Secondly, L-DOPA can have negative side effects in some people, such as irritability and difficulty concentrating.
If you're prone to these issues, or are suffering from any other condition that might cause them, it's important to speak with your doctor before trying mucuna pruriens supplements.
Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume that's been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as an aphrodisiac and a natural remedy for fertility. It also has antioxidant, hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering properties.
Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that contributes to feelings of pleasure.
It also plays a key role in the motivation-reward-reinforcement cycle, allowing us to experience positive emotions and trigger behaviors that make our lives more enjoyable.
Dopamine is produced in several different areas of the brain, including the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra.
Dopamine is responsible for both reward and movement regulation in the brain. In the reward pathway, it’s produced in the VTA, while in the motor pathway, it’s produced in the substantia nigra.
A person’s dopamine levels may increase or decrease depending on the environment and a variety of factors. For example, when a person is feeling stressed, their dopamine levels may go down.
The right amount of dopamine is important for a healthy, balanced mood and for learning and memory. But too much or too little dopamine can cause a number of health problems, including addiction.
There are a number of things you can do to help your body make more dopamine.
One is to eat a healthy diet that’s high in magnesium and tyrosine-rich foods. Eating foods like chicken, almonds, avocados, bananas beets, chocolate, green leafy vegetables and green tea can all boost your dopamine levels.
Exercise can also increase dopamine levels. It can make you feel more motivated and engaged, and it can help lower your blood pressure and stress level.
Other ways to increase dopamine include eating a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients that promote dopamine production, such as vitamin D and omega-3s.
It also helps to avoid sugary foods, which can lower your dopamine levels.
You can also try to reduce your environmental stress. For instance, try to limit the amount of time you spend in front of a computer screen and make sure to get enough sleep.
These steps can help your dopamine levels stay steady, resulting in a more pleasant mood.
Some people who have low dopamine levels can become addicted to certain substances, such as alcohol or drugs.
This is a serious condition that can result in physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms when the person attempts to stop using the substance. It is possible that genetics can play a role in the development of an addiction.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone secreted in response to stress, but it plays many roles throughout the body. It regulates metabolism and blood sugar, mediates immune function, and carries signals between organs and tissues.
It also helps control the hormones that control our circadian rhythm, bone formation, electrolyte balance, and gut function.
Mucuna pruriens is a plant, but it actually has multiple powerful therapeutic properties that can be used for a variety of conditions.
For instance, it can help improve sleep quality, reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and even offer relief from male infertility!
The most well-known compound in mucuna pruriens is L-dopa, which can help raise your mood and improve your ability to focus.
It’s a precursor to dopamine, which is one of the most important neurotransmitters for motivation and relaxation.
Additionally, mucuna pruriens may reduce stress and aid in sleep quality. One study found that psychologically stressed men who supplemented with mucuna pruriens for 3 months had significantly lower cortisol levels than those who didn't.
This is because mucuna pruriens increases dopamine levels in the body.
Dopamine is a major reward hormone in the brain and it's responsible for creating pleasurable sensations like feeling elated when you get a "like" on Instagram or feeling warm and fuzzy after a good meal.
It's also responsible for optimizing the production of other hormones, such as testosterone and luteinizing hormone.
This plant extract is especially beneficial for your brain because it contains a large amount of L-dopa, which can increase the production of dopamine in your brain.
This is critical for your mental health, including motivation, attention span and a general sense of wellbeing.
Besides its dopamine-boosting power, mucuna pruriens can also help reduce stress and anxiety.
This is due to the fact that it effectively elevates dopamine and serotonin levels in your brain, which are known for controlling mood swings and regulating your sleep cycles.
In addition, mucuna pruriens is an adaptogen and can feed your adrenal glands and balance your hormones.
This makes it ideal for people who suffer from high stress and fatigue, which can lead to poor sleep quality.
Mucuna pruriens has also been shown to help increase the quality of semen in infertile men who are under psychological stress.
In this study, 120 infertile men were given 5 grams of mucuna pruriens daily for three months. The results showed that sperm count and motility were increased in the group who received mucuna pruriens.
It can also help elevate your testosterone levels, which can boost your libido and improve your sexual performance.
Combined, these benefits can make mucuna pruriens an incredibly powerful natural testosterone booster!
Sleep
Sleep is an essential biological process that helps us reenergize our cells, clear waste from the brain, and support learning and memory. It also plays a critical role in immune system function.
The brain cycles through four or five stages of sleep — including deep, slow-wave REM sleep — as it recharges and repairs. This cycle happens about every 90 minutes. Each stage lasts about 20 minutes.
In this sleep phase, your eyes move back and forth behind your closed lids, brain waves are similar to those during wakefulness, and your breathing and blood pressure are comparable to daytime levels.
This is also the most restful part of your sleep, because it’s the time you dream.
Research has shown that this stage of sleep is linked to higher levels of growth hormone, which is essential for children’s development and muscle mass.
It also boosts the production of protein and increases cell repair.
This type of sleep is essential to recovery from exercise or injury. It helps your body grow new cells and tissues, boosts the immune system, and helps prevent disease.
Another important part of the sleep process is the homeostatic drive to sleep that comes from your circadian system, or body’s internal clock.
This drive is activated by light and dark, which sets the body’s rhythm for sleep and wakefulness.
If the two systems don’t match up, a disordered sleep pattern may occur. Problems like jet lag and sleep disorders are a result of this mismatch.
Mucuna pruriens may also help to improve sleep in people with impaired sleep patterns.
A 2012 study published in Integrative Medicine Insights examined the effects of mucuna pruriens supplementation on sleep in 18 healthy, active people with evidence of impaired sleep.
In addition, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have found that mucuna pruriens, the extract of a bean-like herb that’s native to Africa and Asia, can improve sleep quality in men and women.
They tested a supplement containing mucuna pruriens and Chlorophytum borivilianum, and found that participants with poor sleep quality were able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer when given the supplements.
They also found that the supplement reduced cortisol levels in those with stress and anxiety.
In fact, the study found that men who were psychologically stressed out and supplemented with mucuna pruriens had lower cortisol levels after just three months of use.
Conclusion
When you feel stressed, your body produces an excess of cortisol, a catabolic hormone that can torpedo testosterone levels.
This makes it even more important to support your HPA axis and reduce the total amount of stress on your system.
Mucuna pruriens, or velvet bean, is an adaptogen that can help you cope with stress by improving your body’s ability to reduce and recover from it. It’s also known for its ability to support a healthy mood and promote a sense of well-being.
Mucuna pruriens is high in the precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is essential for feelings of happiness and motivation.
Studies show that mucuna pruriens can boost mood and help people feel more motivated to take care of themselves.
It can also increase sperm count and motility in men. It is also a potent luteinizing hormone (LH) promoter, which increases testosterone production in men.
Mucuna pruriens can also be used to lower blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Its d-chiro-inositol, for example, can mimic the effects of insulin and help lower sugar levels.
