In 1936, Indian scientists Ramaswamy and colleagues announced the isolation of L-DOPA, in its pure form, from the seeds of Mucuna. Yet this discovery was not given its due importance simply because at that time the role of L-DOPA in Parkinson's disease was not known.
In the 1960s, dopamine deficiency was linked to Parkinson's disease. This led scientists to begin a search for the natural sources of L-DOPA. Several leguminous plants including Mucuna were screened for L-DOPA, and there were several reports of the safety, economy and efficacy of Mucuna in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Yet all work was abandoned when L-DOPA could be synthesized artificially.
It was hence only decades later, that Ramaswamy's work got its due importance.
In 1997, U.S based scientist Bala V. Manyam from Texas A & M University, carried out clinical studies that compared the effects of synthetic L-DOPA against a natural powder formulation of Mucuna seeds. This natural formulation, named HP200, was made from Mucuna seeds, which were depleted of their seed coats, then powdered and mixed in water. It was manufactured in collaboration with Dr. K.M. Parikh of Zandu Pharmaceutical Works, Mumbai.
The effects of both the drugs were tested initially on rat and rabbit animal models. The results, which practically rocked the medical world, showed that dose for dose, Mucuna was two to three times more effective than equivalent amounts of synthetic L-DOPA. This, Manyam attributed to the presence of either yet-to-be-discovered anti-parkinsonian compounds or to the presence of adjuvants that boosted the efficacy of L-DOPA.
Additional study was undertaken n India to establish the benefit of HP200 in human subjects with Parkinson's disease. The study was carried out in 60 patients over a period of three months at different medical centers. During that time, the patients received HP200 while no concomitant L-DOPA preparations were administered. Trained neurologists monitored changes in the degree of patient's symptoms and side effects. At the end of the study, it was determined that HP200 was highly beneficial in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and that the natural formulation of powdered Mucuna seeds, significantly, showed minimal side effects.
The ripples of these scientific findings extended worldwide and were lapped up eagerly by pharmacologists, biochemists, agriculturalists, phytochemists and other scientists.
Following in the footsteps of Manyam's work, another path-breaking finding was that of Katzenschlager R. and team in 2001, published in the journal Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. These scientists assessed the clinical effects and levodopa pharmacokinetics of natural Mucuna formulations as against standard Levodopa//Carbidopa doses.
In randomized, controlled, double blind crossover trials involving 8 Parkinson's patients, it was seen that the effects of L-DOPA was faster when Mucuna was used. In addition, dyskinesias or motor complications were significantly lesser and remained so, for a longer period of time. This study proved the advantages of this natural source of L-DOPA in the long-term management of the disease.
