What is velvety beans?

Mucuna pruriens , also known as velvet beans, is an annual shrub that grows long vines. This climbing shrub is located in tropical areas such as Caribbean, India and Africa. It has many common names, including Cowhage, Picapica and Cowitch. The name "velvet beans" is derived from the fact that the plant is covered with soft hair when it is young. However, as velvet beans ripen, they lose these hairs. When the plant is young, both sides of the leaves are almost completely covered with fuzzy hair. The leaves are about 0.1 inches (0.2 cm) long. On one stem, several leaves can grow, each stem growing up to 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) long.

velvet beans are flowering plants. Each flower head can flourish into several or abundance of flowers. These flowers can be white, dark purple or light purple. The saddinous pods of these flowers often cover free hair of the contact causes serious skin irritation. After the flowers bloomed, the velvet beans will startIT fruit.

The main use of velvet beans is manure for small farms. It is resistant to many pests and diseases, including those that usually attack legumes. In several African and Asian countries, velvet beans are used as a smaller food because it is a rich source of protein. It can be made in decoration, spices or selected when it is immature to use as vegetables. The total nutritional value of the velvet bean is comparable to the value of more commonly consumed legumes such as soybeans, cowpeas and pinema oils.

Mucuna pruriens are also used as animal feed in some countries. However, the plant can be toxic to humans and other non -uminating mammals if they are consumed uncooked. The cooking process relieves the chemical plants such as levodopa, which otherwise does not mean for consumption in large quantities.

beans were used as a treatment of Parkinson's disease, since the yearIn 2010, however, no data support its ability to work or long -term tolerance. The bean contains a levodopu and can be used to increase dopamine production to treat various disorders, including depression and sexual dysfunction. The side effects are many and include hair loss, extreme emotional conditions and hallucinations. Because beans also contain serotonin and nicotine, it could be a substance changing mind.