Mucuna pruriens, Carpopogon pruriens, Dolichos pruriens, Mucuna
aterrima
Family: Faboideae / Leguminosae / Papilionaceae
Nescafe, Cowitch, Velvet Bean, Purple Jade Vine
Origin: Africa, India
vine or creeper, full sun, regular water, white/off-white flowers,
blue/lavender/purple flowers pink flowers, ethno medical, edible,
attracts butterflies, hummingbirds.
Attractive legume with unusual royal purple flowers that grows
3-18 m in height. Its flowers hang in long clusters. The plant also
produces clusters of pods which contain seeds known as mucuna beans.
The seed pods are covered with reddish-orange hairs that are readily
dislodged and can cause intense irritation to the skin. The species
name "pruriens" (from the Latin,
"itching sensation") refers to the results to be had from contact
with the seed pod hairs. The beans are also called Nescafe, and are
used as a coffee substitute. Mucuna has been used for generations in
India for Parkinsons disease. It is used to make dopamine, an
important brain chemical involved in mood, sexuality, and movement.
The plant has antioxidant properties. 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. It is considered a diuretic, nerve tonic, and
aphrodisiac. Externally it is applied to ulcers. |
