This afternoon I filled some capsules with mucuna and gave it a new try. I have been in a pattern of being "off" more and more in the evenings and lately even into the afternoons. Not a happy camper.

So this evening I substituted for my 7:00 feeding of 2X4 mg requip plus 1x200/25 sinemet CR a pair of capsules containing 1 gr of mucuna bean powder each.

I am very pleased because it is now 11:00 PM and I am anything but "off" and have done well all evening.

I do have a couple of questions- First, if mucuna is about five percent l-dopa as claimed, then have ingested 50 mg in each capsule for a total of 100 mg sans carbidopa. I shouldn't feel a thing. And second, the studies have used doses up to 30 grams and I am testing just 2! So what am I overlooking?

Tomorrow will be interesting.

This one's for you, juanhch

Hello :

I use raw powder assuming it has 4% L-dopa (one tea spoon twice daily) and I always thought it has little or no impact on my symptoms which are mild any way. What you are reporting is amazing but I am wondring if the capsule has higher L-dopa % as usually capsules contain 15 to 50 % L-dopa . Can you check this?

from a bag of raw powder.

went to bed at 11;30 still on. up at 1:30 to the loo and was off. now just up at 8:00 and in a little better shape than usual.

just took 2 mucuna and 3 ginseng. if i am on before 9;00 am it willl be imrovement.

... with my best wishes that the +ve effects will continue ..

for the experiment. Day got out of control but I did figure out that one needs a lille more to start the day. I will do a better job tomorrow.

Yesterday I stayed on with no further meds or mucuna until 7:30PM, which was pretty impressive. Then I went "off" relatively quckly (I know it is spelled incorrectly but it makes such a neat word! :-) ) over a ten mnute span. Took another teaspoon of mucuna mixed with apple sauce and waited....and waited....and etc. Nothing. Gave up and hobbled to bed about 10:00. Slept well and woke up at 7:30 in decent shape. Took 1 sinemet and 2 requip and 1 tsp mucuna. Came "on" in half an hour which is half my usual. It is now 10:30 and I am still in good shape.

About last night. (How's that for an intro? ) The dose in early afternoon was with water but the later one was apple sauce. While my first thought was that the earlier one benefitted from lingering carbidopa, it might be that the pectin in the apple sauce altered absorption.

Time will tell.

I was going to ask if you also drank water along with the applesauce. I think a suspension of mucuna is absorbed better than the powder mixed with apple sauce. I'm going to mix mine with water, with a small electric mixer and see if it's tolerable like that.

Your capsules plus water worked well, though, so maybe mucuna plus apple sauce plus water would work fine.

No I didn't drink water with it so that may make the difference. Today I took a second teaspoon at 1:00 PM and am still on at 7:00 PM. I think I will try a fourth requip now and see if I coast on in to bed.

Dear Reverett,

Thanks for your detailed and unreserved report on Mucuna. Usually, I will take HP200 in the morning if the stalevo is slow to kick in or if I want a quick start for work. On Dec, I took one teaspoon (7.5g) half an hour after stalevo and was "on" for 6 to 7 hours or even longer BUT with mild dyskinesia. Noticing that it may be too much for me, I reduced it to 1/3 teaspoon and the "on" time has substantially shortened yet it gave me a quick start.

LING

Ling, how to you take yours? Do you mix it with water and drink the suspension? And how long does it take to kick in? Thanks.