So you’ve found out about the benefits of Mucuna Pruriens and are now researching into more details. Such as the optimal Dosage of Mucuna Pruriens for the purpose of increasing your testosterone levels.
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Because that is exactly what we’re going to take a look at today and more.
But quickly, let’s start with the basics and make sure you’ve read correctly what Mucuna Pruriens actually is.
Mucuna Pruriens is considered as part of the family of “legumes” and is a bean; it’s actually also known a “Velvet Bean” due to its furry texture and is native to Asia.
It’s long been used in Ayurveda (traditional Indian) medicine, being believed to be able to “fix” male infertility even before modern times.
We could talk about the history of Mucuna Pruriens all day…but all you need to know at this point in the article is that it’s a great source of L-DOPA, which is one of the main reasons it’s linked with testosterone in men.
Now that we’ve refreshed your memory as to what Mucuna Pruriens is, let’s get right in with the rest of the article.
Table of Contents
How Mucuna Pruriens Increases Testosterone
You’re probably wondering how something nicknamed “Velvet Bean” came to be one of the leading natural ingredients found in testosterone booster supplements. As well its links with testosterone be heavily researched over the years.
We briefly mentioned in the intro that Mucuna Pruriens contains high levels of L-DOPA, which is the active ingredient you’ll want to know about with regards to increasing testosterone levels (and more).
L-Dopa
Also known as “levodopa”, L-DOPA is the active ingredient found in Mucuna Pruriens.
On average, this legumes contains between 4-6 seeds, with the seeds being the most important part of this plant; studies have shown that the highest concentration of L-DOPA is found in the seeds of the “Velvet Bean”[1].
In a nutshell, clinical studies have found that L-Dopa is able to positively affect the “hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis”, ultimately leading to increases serum testosterone levels, luteinizing hormone (LH) and improvements in male fertility [2].
So Why Not Take L-DOPA Directly Instead of Mucuna Pruriens?
The question above is a very good one. And it may even be one that you’re asking yourself now after hearing that L-DOPA is the active ingredient in Velvet Bean.
The answer is that studies have proven Mucuna Pruriens to be more effective than taking synthetic L-DOPA directly [3]. Which makes sense since; we’re big promoters of natural sources of nutrients instead of synthetics and chemicals.
Lower Prolactin Levels = Higher Testostereone Levels
Another way that researchers believe Mucuna Pruriens is able to boost testosterone levels in men, is due to L-DOPA’s ability to surpresss the levels of prolactin.
To expand slightly on the previous sentence for those interested. Basically, L-DOPA is believed to promote higher levels of dopamine in the brain, leading to your body releasing lower levels of prolactin).
A clinical study actually researched the link between prolactin and testosterone levels in males. It concluded that when the male subjects’ prolactin levels were elevated, their testosterone levels “were significantly reduced” [4].
As a result, it may be beneficial to consume Mucuna Pruriens extract (that contains high levels of L-DOPA) in order to keep your prolactin levels surpressed – to promote higher levels of testosterone levels.
How Much Can Mucuna Pruriens Boost Your Testosterone Levels By?
We thought that this section was important. Because there is a lot of false information out there with regards to testosterone booster supplements and their results (it’s important to note that we only recommend T-Booster supplements we’ve actually experienced positive effects with, here at LeanBulking.com).
It’s most likely unrealistic to expect Mucuna Pruriens to increase your testosterone levels past normal levels. In fact, no natural, safe ingredient will be able to consistently achieve this.
The majority of studies show that Velvet Bean is capable of restoring males’ testostereone levels to “normal levels”. For example, if a male was suffering from infertility, studies show that this ingredient is able to increase sperm count and testosterone levels back to what they should be.
Beneficial to Combat Age-Related Testosterone Decline
The bad news for men is that age-related testosterone decline is a real thing.
In fact, clinical studies show that total testosterone levels fall at an average of 1.6& every year [5]…that’s not something you want to believe, but it is unfortunately true.
So while most men want higher testosterone levels than normal in order to help them achieve increases in vitality, muscle mass, libido and confidence – what men really should be focused on is increasing their testosterone levels to optimal, normal levels again.
The good news is that Mucuna Pruriens has shown to be capable of giving your T levels a boost back to normal levels. Making it a beneficial ingredient when aiming to restore T levels.
It’s for this reason that we believe Mucuna Pruriens to be a key ingredient when looking for a testosterone booster supplement. If you’re interested, our current #1 rated T-Booster is Centrapeak (see our Centrapeak Review for more info).
The Optimal Dosage of Mucuna Pruriens for Increased Testosterone Levels
Congratulations, you’ve read through some great information to make it to the section you came here for.
Most studies have used different dosages of Mucuna Pruriens and found success; this varies low dosages per mg, to somewhere in the middle at 3 mg/per kg bodyweight [6], to the higher dosages of 5g.
Most testosterone booster supplements contain somewhere around 75 mg to 100 mg per serving, along with other nutrients that have shown to boost T levels such as Indole-3-Carbinol, Vitamin D3 and Luteolin.
But if you’re wanting to take Mucuna Pruriens by itself for the purposes of raising your test levels, then we would personally go with 5g daily dosages like in the studies we’ve referenced.
Conclusion: Mucuna Pruriens and Testosterone
We realize that you didn’t come here for a science lesson. So apologies if we’ve “geeked out” on you a bit too much here – but we always like to draw upon clinical studies for our information and be as well informed as possible, thereby giving you the best answers possible.
To summarize, Mucuna Pruriens has indeed been shown to consistently boost testosterone levels in clinical studies through the years. As well as help combat infertility in men too.
Testosterone Booster supplements (such as our #1 rated product called Centrapeak) contain 75 mg dosage of Mucuna Pruriens, which when taken alongside other clinically proven ingredients appears to be sufficient. However, if you want to take Mucuna Pruriens by itself, then we’d suggest a much larger dosage of 5g per day spread out into several servings.
References:
- LR Lamperiello. The Magic Velvet Bean of Mucuna pruriens. J Tradit Complement Med. 2012 Oct-Dec; 2(4): 331–339.
- KK Shukla. Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. Fertil Steril. 2009 Dec; 92(6): 1934-40.
- G Hussain. Mucuna pruriens proves more effective than L‐DOPA in Parkinson’s disease animal model. Vol 11, Iss 6; Sep 1997: Pages 419-423
- AC Hackney. Relationship of resting prolactin and testosterone in males during intensive training. Br. J. Sp. Med., Vol. 23, No. 3.
- RD Stanworth. Testosterone for the aging male; current evidence and recommended practice. Clin Interv Aging. 2008 Mar; 3(1): 25–44.
- AP Singh. Mucuna pruriens and Its Major Constituent L-DOPA Recover Spermatogenic Loss by Combating ROS, Loss of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential and Apoptosis. PLoS One. 2013; 8(1): e54655.