Please be careful about using mucuna or l-dopa without knowing what you're doing (and ideally, working with a doctor.) You can permanently alter your neurochemistry and both of those do a lot more than just give you "extra energy." You probably don't need that much dopamine unless you have parkinson's disease.
Agreed reading up on it before using is recommended. Just as 5-htp is a precursor for serotonin, L-dopa is for dopamine as to much of one compared to other is not good in the long run. Never use pure L-dopa as a daily supplement.
But sticking to the dosage on your Mucuna supplement (I use swanson) and make sure you cycle it and it is very safe. Mucuna is a classic case of where the herb is safer then the isolated molecule (L-dopa in this case). Prime example of why I'm all for using natural herbs then anything else. I'm quoting these from examine.com (
http://examine.com/s...ens/#summary2-0) which in turn has their scientific sources on the bottom of the page if you wanna look:
It has been suggested that although Levodopa per se can increase DNA damage through copper ions in the brain, some other compounds in Mucuna alleviate this damage via exerting a metal chelating effect.[20] This insinuates less potential DNA damage from copper ion excess with Mucuna relative to Levodopa. The general co-ingestion of anti-oxidants alongside metal chelators may confer additional protection.[21]
At least one human study on Mucuna Pruriens compared its results to standard Levodopa treatment and noted less occurance of dyskinesia.[22] It is not sure whether this is due to the above protective mechanisms, or due to Levodopa from Mucuna Pruriens being more bioactive. Levodopa in Mucuna Pruriens appears to be 2-3x more bioactive (potent) when compared to the same dose of isolated Levodopa, which is hypothesized to be due to a currently unknown Dopamine Decarboxylase inhibitor in Mucuna Pruriens.[22] Standard Levodopa therapy for Parkinsons tends to pair it with Carbidopa to inhibit this enzyme and prolong the effects of Levodopa.
Common side effect of to much dopamine in the brain compared to other neurotransmitters is dyskinesia. But generally you need to supplement BIG amounts of pure Mucuna powder yourself in order to reach this since the capsule doses are almost never enough for that kind of side effects. I know people that has countered this by supplementing with 5-htp also to keep the ratios more balanced. Personally I do not recommend this and I rather just cycle the supplement.
Safety and Toxicity
One large double blind study noted no significant adverse effects from 15-30g of Mucuna Pruriens powder over the course of 12-20 weeks aside from one patient suffering from vomiting, which was deemed unrelated to the bioactivity of Mucuna but rather its digestability and palatability.[19]
In rats, doses of 32mg/kg or above are associated with 'some adverse side effects' (hyperventilation, reduced spontaneous motor activity, spontaneous erections) that appeared 1 hour after ingestion transiently, and doses up to 100mg/kg are free from more significant side effects for up to 12 weeks (study termination).[27]
Edited by _alex_, 15 November 2013 - 07:40 AM.
