Mucuna is a genus of vines and shrubs of the legume familyFabaceae: tribePhaseoleae. It has a pan-tropical distribution and contains 112 accepted species as of July 2025[update]. The genus was created in 1763 by French botanistMichel Adanson.[1]
Plants in this genus are mostly woody or herbaceous vines, with the exception ofM. stans, a shrub.[3] The leaves arestipulate and trifoliate with large leaflets. Inflorescences are produced from theleaf axils or from older stems, and all except those ofM. stans andM. stanleyi are pendant; they may be arranged as pseudo-racemes or pseudo-panicles.[3][4][5] The flowers have the characteristic pea flower form; they are large and showy and exhibit a wide range of colours across the different species. The fruit aredehiscent pods that may be ovoid or oblong and contain a number of seeds; they have divisions (septa) between each seed, the pod may be winged and/or ribbed, and they are often coated in stiff irritating hairs.[3][4][5]
They are generally bat-pollinated and produce seeds that are buoyantsea-beans. These have a characteristic three-layered appearance, appearing like the eyes of a large mammal in some species and like a hamburger in others (most notablyM. sloanei) and giving rise to common names likedeer-eye beans,donkey-eye beans,ox-eye beans, orhamburger seed.
The name of the genus is derived frommucunã, aTupi–Guarani word for these species.[6]
The pods of some species are covered in coarse hairs that contain theproteolytic enzymemucunain and cause itchy blisters when they come in contact with skin;specific epithets such aspruriens (Latin: "itching") orurens (Latinized Ancient Greek: "stinging like a nettle") refer to this. Other parts of the plant have medicinal properties. The plants or their extracts are sold inherbalism against a range of conditions, such asurinary tract,neurological, andmenstruation disorders,constipation,edema,fevers,tuberculosis, andhelminthiases such aselephantiasis.[7] In an experiment to test ifM.pruriens might have an effect on the symptoms ofParkinson's disease, Katzenschlageret al. found that a seed powder had a comparable, if not more favourable, effect as commercial formulations of L-dopa, although the trial only consisted of four people per test group.[8]
M. pruriens was found to increasephosphorus availability after application ofrock phosphate in one Nigerian experiment.[9]M. pruriens was used in Native Americanmilpa agriculture.[citation needed]
Mucuna seeds contain a large number ofantinutritional compounds. The most important is L-dopa, which the digestive system of most animals confuses with the amino acidtyrosine, causing the production of defective proteins. Other antinutrients aretannins,lectins,phytic acid,cyanogenic glycosides, andtrypsin andamylase inhibitors, although all these can be removed by long cooking.[10]M. pruriens may also contain chemicals such asserotonin,5-HTP,nicotine, and thehallucinogenictryptamines5-MeO-DMT,bufotenine anddimethyltryptamine,[10][11][verification needed]Mucuna is not traditionally consumed as a food crop, but some preliminary experiments have shown that if the antinutrients are removed or at least brought down to safe level, the beans can be fed to livestock or people. The L-dopa content is the most important and difficult toxin to get rid of. The seeds must be extensively processed before they can be safely eaten. Diallo & Berhe found the best method was to crack open the seeds and soak them in constantly running fresh water such as under an open faucet for 36 hours, or to put them in a bag and leave in a flowing river for 72 hours, before cooking them for over an hour. Over a thousand people in theRepublic of Guinea were fed a meal ofMucuna (mixed with many other ingredients) with no obvious ill effects.[12]
Vanlauwe, B.O. (2000). "Nwoke, C.; Diels, J.; Sanginga, N.; Carsky, R.J.; Deckers, J. & Merckx, R. (2000) Utilization of rock phosphate by crops on a representative toposequence in the Northern Guinea savanna zone of Nigeria: response byMucuna pruriens,Lablab purpureus and maize".Soil Biology and Biochemistry.32 (14):2063–2077.doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(00)00149-8.
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Data related toMucuna at Wikispecies