Description: <p><b>Mucuna pruriens</b> - Velvet Bean, Kapikacchu</p>
<p><b>Type:</b> Botanical extract / L-DOPA-rich medicinal seed</p>
<p><b>Active Constituents:</b> L-DOPA (levodopa), flavonoids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, fatty acids, and other bioactive constituents.</p>
<p><b>Function:</b> Mucuna pruriens is notable for its naturally high L-DOPA content and has dopaminergic, antioxidant, mitochondrial, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Whole-seed extracts also contain additional constituents that may modify the effects of L-DOPA.</p>
<p><b>Cancer:</b> Emerging experimental evidence suggests antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, and chemosensitizing effects in selected cancer models, although the cancer evidence is less extensive than its neurological literature.</p>
<p><b>Alzheimer's Disease:</b> Preclinical evidence supports antioxidant, mitochondrial, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects relevant to neurodegeneration, although Mucuna pruriens is much more strongly established in Parkinson's disease research than in Alzheimer's disease.</p>