Fiona and Rick, I was wondering if either of you could clarify the type of
Mucuna that you are taking. I believe you said it was a powder,what form of powder? Does it come in seed form and why do you bake it for 5 minutes? Why is mine Hp-200 and Fiona says hers is HP-400?

Confused.

I will answer but you might search back through this subject, too. There has been quite a lot of discussion. As to the powder, I use an organic seed powder by Banyan Botanicals. Google it and you will find several sources. As to why I bake it, raw beans contain a toxin to discourage creatures from eating them. Kidney beans in particular can sicken. That's why people soak them overnight before cooking. I toast the powder before use in hopes of breaking down the toxin. I don't know if it works or not, but I have had no more problems with cramping. Finally, the "HP-200" is just a name, like a brand name. I don't know for sure but the HP-400 may be a typo.

Thanks for the reply. I have gone through all the posting on Mucuna and have reams of it printed off. I try and keep up but I think I am on too much information overload.

Less confused.

Ok, catching up a little bit here - I take this product made by America's Finest Inc. (!) called HGH 400 - it is mucuna pruriens, standardized to 15% l-dopa. So I just do a little math, and take the same amount which would be in 1 Sinemet 25/100 which is two caps of this product. I have tried removing it from the capsules and heating it - didn't seem to make a difference one way or the other, although taking it out of the caps and mixing it into applesauce or yogurt seems to make it work a little faster. I have been using it to replace most of my Sinemet for the past two months or so, and feel better than I did. I still take the Stalevo and Amantadine (but less of the latter), and now this is my fifth day totally off the Neupro patch at last (without replacing it with any other agonist), and I seem to be feeling better every day. Don't get that daily feeling like I'm dying at some point or other.

Keith, as to anything I've heard bad about mucuna - well, not really except sometimes it doesn't work in a given dose or you can have dyskinesia with it. But I'm still experimenting - on the whole I feel much evener and - well, healthier than before. I have struggled with some nightmares, but I did long before I tried mucuna, and I feel it has more to do with withdrawal from the agonists. A lot of self-determination and meditation seems to be keeping that symptom under control.

I've read that the problem with Mucina is having to
take every increasing doses to maintain efficacy.

Please comment.