Velvet bean

A charge of 1,000 g of ground velvet beans was extracted with 9 liters of 1% aqueous... 

Fisk JW, Hesterman OB, Shrestha A, Kells JJ, Harwood RR, Squire JM, Sheaffer CC (2001) Weed suppression by annual legume cover crops in no-tillage com. Agron J 93 319-325 Fujii Y (2003) Allelopathy in the natural and agricultural ecosystems and isolation of potent allelochemicals from velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). Biol Sd Space 17 6-13... 

Velvet bean, Mucuna deeringiana (Bort.) Merr.,... 

FIGURE 6.24 Effect of light on isoprene emission rate from (a) aspen leaf and (b) velvet bean leaf (adapted from Monson et al., 1991, 1992 and Fall, 1999). 

Udensi E.U., Akobundu I.O, Ayeni A.O, Chikoye D. Management of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrical) with velvet bean (Mucunapruriens var. utilis) and herbicides. Weed Technol 1999 13 201-208. 

David Bransby (personal communication, October, 2002) recommended seven potential energy crops (mimosa, sericea, kudzu, arunzo, switchgrass, velvet bean, and castor) as candidates for the extraction of high-value products based on crop yields and largely anecdotal medicinal information. 

A charge of 1,000 g of ground velvet beans was extracted with 9 liters of 1% aqueous acetic acid at room temperature over a 20-hour period with occasional stirring during the first 4 hours. The liquor was decanted and the... 

Kaizzi, C.K. Ssali, H. and P. Vlek (2004) The potential of velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and N fertilizers in maize production on contrasting soils and agro-ecological zones of East Uganda.- Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 68, 59-72. 

L-Canavanine (88), a nonprotein amino acid in legumes such as jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.), has been shown to inhibit growth of susceptible plant species.53 L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA, 89) has been isolated as an allelochemical from a cover crop, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis).54... 

Many baculoviruses126 (i.e., insect viruses) are species-specific. They have been used for the successful control of the gypsy moth, velvet bean caterpillar (on 5.9 million ha of soybeans in Brazil), cotton bollworm, codling moth (on apples, pears, and walnuts), rhinoceros beetle, potato tuber moth, sawflies, and porina moth.127 The gypsy moth was introduced into the United States in Massachusetts from Europe in 1869. It defoliates many trees if there are no checks on its population. The war against it has often used diflubenzuron ( dimilin1 ) (11.20), which affects many nontarget species.128... 

The condensation of L-dopa and L-tryptamine with acetaldehyde in mammalian systems has been surveyed and a number of the possible compounds formed have been synthesized.The similar reaction of catecholamines has also been reviewed.It has been demonstrated that the optically active tetrahydroiso-quinolines salsolinol, salsoline, and isosalsoline and their antipodes can be prepared by enzyme-catalysed condensation of dopa or appropriate derivatives with acetaldehyde. The cis (IS, 3S) acid (35 R = H), formed as the major component from L-dopa and acetaldehyde under acid catalysis (cf. Vol. 4) and previously isolated from velvet beans cf. Vol. 3), has now been isolated from blackened sake cake. " 3-Carboxytetrahydroisoquinolines of this type have also been synthesized from dopa derivatives by phenolic cyclization.Esters of the acid (35 R = H) and its ethers undergo base-catalysed equilibration to give predominantly the trans (IS, 3R) isomer. The antipodes behave analogously. The reaction of dopamine hydrochloride with acetaldehyde at pH 4.5 has been reported to give not only... 

From an agricultural viewpoint. Piper and Pieters classify leguminous green manure crops as (1) summer annuals, chiefly soybeans, cowpeas, peanuts, beans, velvet beans, common vetch and field peas (2) winter annuals, including hairy vetch, common vetch, crimson clover, bur clover, field peas and red clover (in the south) and (3) biennials or perennials, comprising red clover, alsike clover, white clover, alfalfa and sweet clover. Each of these crops is adapted more or less definitely to a limited region. 

Velvet bean contains trace amounts of certain hallucinogenic compounds. While the compound DMT N,N-dimethyltryptamine) has been reported in velvet bean (Ghosal et al. 1971), a recent analysis did not find any DMT, but indicated the presence of the related compounds bufo-tenin (5-hydroxydimethyltryptamine) at a concentration of 1.2 to 1.5 ppm and 5-MeODMT (5-methoxydimethyltrypt-amine) at a concentration of 0.34 to 0.63 ppm (Szabo 2003). 

Velvet bean contains 3.6 to 7% of the compound L-dopa (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine), an amino acid used in the treatment of Parkinson s disease (Pugalenthi et al. 2005). 

Contact with the hairs on the velvet bean seed pod can cause severe itching (pruritis) (Davidson et al. 2007 Kosteletzky et al. 2009 MMWR1985). 

Animal studies have indicated that velvet bean may modify glucose regulation (Akhtar et al. 1990 Bhaskar et al. 2008 Rathi et al. 2002). People with diabetes are advised to monitor their blood sugar closely and discuss the use of this herb with a qualified healthcare practitioner prior to use. 

An increase in fetal malformations was observed in an animal study with velvet bean (Nath et al. 1992). Based on this information, use during pregnancy is not recommended except under the supervision of a qualified healthcare practitioner. 

No information on the safety of velvet bean during lactation was identified in the scientific or traditional literature. While this review did not identify any concerns for use while nursing, safety has not been conclusively established. 

Contact with the hairs on the outside of velvet bean seed pods can cause severe itching (pruritis). An outbreak of pruritis was reported after someone maliciously placed velvet bean pods in a couple s bed. The couple, and people who came in physical contact with the couple for the few hours after contact, all developed moderate to severe pruritis (MMWR1985). 

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