Velvet Bean - Dopamine

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume known as velvet bean or cowitch and found in Africa, India and the Caribbean.  It has value in agricultural and horticultural use and has a range of medicinal properties. The seeds have antidepressant properties in cases of depressive neurosis when consumed and formulations of the seed powder have shown promise in the management and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
The herb contains L-DOPA, a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine.  L-DOPA converts into dopamine, an important brain chemical involved in mood, sexuality, and movement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucuna_pruriens  

Dopamine works as one of the best natural hgh (human growth hormone) releasers by stimulating the pituitary gland to increase its production. High levels throughout life of the body's own natural growth hormone, not from synthetic hormones injections, is known as a major key for human longevity. Dopamine also increases other youth hormones such as testosterone. It must be mentioned that these increases are never throwing the endocrine system out of balance, merely improving levels which tend to decrease over time in the average person.

The great thing with this herb is that it gets your body to make growth hormone itself and thus control the amount it makes and avoid the problems associated with elevated levels of hgh. This is much safer to use than synthetic human growth hormone which is quickly gaining a reputation as a carcinogenic "steroid-like" performance enhancer. http://www.secrets-of-longevity-in-humans.com/mucuna-pruriens.html

Tribal and Herbal Medicine Use: In Central America, velvet beans have been roasted and ground to make a coffee substitute for decades; its goes by the common name of "nescafé" in these regions, as well as in Brazil, for this reason. It is still grown as a food crop by the Ketchi indigenous people in Guatemala; the bean is cooked as a vegetable. In Brazil the seed has been used internally for Parkinson's disease, edema, impotence, intestinal gas, and worms. It is considered a diuretic, nerve tonic, and aphrodisiac. Externally it is applied to ulcers. Velvet bean has a long history of use in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, where it is used for worms, dysentery, diarrhea, snakebite, sexual debility, cough, tuberculosis, impotence, rheumatic disorders, muscular pain, sterility, gout, menstrual disorders, diabetes, and cancer. In India it is considered an aphrodisiac, menstrual promoter, uterine stimulant, nerve tonic, diuretic, and blood purifier. http://www.rain-tree.com/velvetbean.htm

Side effects are not fully known. Possible effect if using in high doses is increased body temperature. Do not take it during the pregnancy. The rule number one with such an herb as Mucuna Pruriens is to be under supervision of your healthcare provider. This wonderful herb is just beginning to be evaluated in research studies, so all major conclusions are still in the future. http://www.chinese-herbs.org/mucuna/

It has been found that blood plasma levels of some of the top antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (an enzyme that prevents your hair from going gray), glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are kept elevated in those who take this adaptogenic herbal aphrodisiac. If you choose to use adaptogenic herbs to manage or reverse any disease always work with a knowledgeable health care practitioner. http://www.secrets-of-longevity-in-humans.com/mucuna-pruriens.html

Informative Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqdlxzzNQUY  

Photo Source: http://www.rain-tree.com/Plant-Images/velvetbean-pic.htm