Velvet bean ( Mucuna pruriens)

Mucuna pruriens is commonly known as Bengal bean, common cowitch, cow-itch, cowage, cowage velvetbean, cowhage, cowitch, cowitch climber, cowitch vine, Florida velvet bean, hell fire bean, horse eye bean, itchy bean and velvet bean.

It contains 5-Hydroxy-L-tryptophan, 1,3,7-Trihydroxyxanthone, Bufotenine, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, Serotonin, Cajanol, Dalbergioidin, Kievitone, (-)-Maackiain, (-)-Medicarpin and Isoprene. It is widely distributed in Kashmir; India; Sikkim; Ceylon; Burma; Indochina; Indonesia; Philippines, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Si­chuan, Taiwan, Yunnan. Mucuna pruriens is distinctive in its small flowers crowded along the upper part of the often very long inflorescence and is easily dis­tinguished from all species, except M. bracteata and M. incurvata, by its ± straight lateral veins running into the leaflet margin and its small fleshy linear fruit..

Floral Description

According to Flora of China

Semiwoody twining vines. Stems and branchlets slender, with dense long fine hairs and often coarser longer hairs, later glabrous. Leaves up to 46 cm; petiole 8-26 cm, hairy like stem; stipels robust, tapering to tip, 4-5 mm; leaflets papery, adaxially sparsely or abundantly hairy when young, later glabrous, abax­ially clothed with short white silky hairs, lateral veins 5-8 on each side, slender, straight or slightly curved, running into mar­gin; terminal leaflet elliptic or ovate-rhombic, (3-)14-16 × (4.5-)8-10 cm, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex rounded, acute, or shortly acuminate; lateral leaflets 7-19 cm, width ratio of abaxial to adaxial halves 2-3:1, abaxial half with base ± truncate or rarely cordate. Inflorescence axillary, long and pen­dulous, 15-35 cm, with (2-)5-20 nodes, all in upper 2/3 of inflorescence with no bracts or scars in lower part; pedicels 2-4(-6) mm, densely adpressed hairy and often bristly; bracts and bracteoles linear-lanceolate 6-9 mm, hairy, caducous before flowers open. Calyx with dense soft adpressed pale hairs and often irritant orange bristles; tube ca. 5 × 10 mm; lateral 2 lobes broadly triangular, 2-4 × 1.5-3(-3.5) mm, lowest narrowly tri­angular, 6-10 × 2-3 mm. Corolla deep purple; standard 1.6-2.5 cm, 1/2-2/3 of keel length; wings 2-4 × ca. 1.2 cm, shorter than or subequal to keel; keel 2.8-4.2(-4.5) cm. Legume linear-ob­long and slightly swollen around seeds or misshapen with irreg­ular swellings around seeds, to 9 × 1(-2) cm, ca. 5 mm thick, densely covered with soft pale hairs or orange to brown irritant caducous bristles, margin thickened, surface with or without longitudinal ridges. Seeds 3-6(-8), white to light yellow-brown, orange, brown, or black, sometimes mottled in various colors, elliptic.

According to flora of Pakistan:

Climbing herb, young branches densely pubescent, becoming glabrous. Leaf trifoliolate, petiole 2-40 cm long, leaflet 4.8-19 cm long, 3.5-16.5 cm broad, obovate, elliptic, rhomboid or ovate, lateral leaflets very oblique, acute or acuminate, pubescent on both sides; petiolule 2-3 mm long; stipules c. 5 mm long. Inflorescence an axillary raceme, 15.0-.30 cm long, flowers single or 2-3 together. Bracts 12.5 mm long; pedicel 2.5-5:O mm long. Calyx 7.5-9 mm long, silky, teeth equal or longer than the tube. Corolla purple. Vexillum 1.5 cm long. Keel 2.5-3.8 cm long, Fruit 5-6.3 cm long, not winged or plaited, with a longitudinal rib running the length of each valve, pubescent, hairs brown and irritating, 5-6- seeded.

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Medicinal Properties and Uses:

Seeds rich in L-Dopa; a seed diet produced a hypoglycemic effect in normal rats. Pods cause irritation when touched, may cause severe intense itching and dermatitis. The skin-irritant bristles, the stinging hairs, used as a vermifuge, generally taken in syrup; hairs of pods used with leaves for wound healing. Plant decoction given in dysentery and fever. Crushed seeds taken with molasses for intestinal worms, piles; seed paste applied on the sting of scorpion bite to relieve pain; seed powder aphrodisiac, astringent, to restore male fertility, to enhance the potency, to cure diarrhea; roasted seeds as an aphrodisiac; seed decoction to regularise menstruation, to increase fertility and chances of pregnancy. Seeds and roots tonic, narcotic, used in the form of powder and decoction to treat roundworm, sterility, difficult urination and as aphrodisiac; seeds and leaves anthelmintic, tonic. Roots stimulant, diuretic, purgative, astringent, an infusion used for nervous breakdown and cough. Root decoction purgative; powdered root used in case of swellings of the feet and hands, also given with water to relieve constipation and dysentery; root extract with honey given in cholera, urine and kidney troubles; contact therapy, root tied to the arm of male partner for prolonged sexual intercourse. Leaves and stems pounded and applied to burns. Leaves paste applied on boils. Veterinary medicine, root paste mixed with turmeric and applied in boils, blisters, ulcers and wounds and root decoction drunk. Pods used for rat population management.

Common Names

in English: Bengal bean, common cowitch, cow-itch, cowage, cowage velvetbean, cowhage, cowitch, cowitch climber, cowitch vine, Florida velvet bean, hell fire bean, horse eye bean, itchy bean, velvet bean
in Jamaica: vine gungo pea
in Mexico: chhican
in Panama: demar pirkok
in Venezuela: pica pica, picapica
in Madagascar: aga, taikilotra, taikilotry, takilotra, taky fotsy
in Nigeria: esisi, ighekpe, karara, yerepe
in Tanzania: mpupu
in Yoruba: eesin, ejokun, esinsin, esise, ewe ina, irepe, werepe, yerebe
in Burma: hkwé:lé:ya:, hkwé:lhé:ya:
in Cambodia: khnhaè
in India: achariya, achariya-pala, adavi ulavu, adhyanda, ajada, ajadhaphala, ajavha, alkooshee, alkusa, alkushi, alkusi, amudari, arshabhi, arugrattam, atmagupta, attumabuttar, badari, bagaltika, baidanka, baidhok, baidok, baikhujen, bee kounch, beej kaunch kala, beej kaunch safed, bhainswalibel, bidonka, bu-chariya, buchariwa, chanda, chinakee beeja, chorivalli, chunao-avarai, corivalli, coriyannam, dakli, dankuli chemi, deluganda, dimpa, dodaragunda, dolugunda, doolagonda, doolagondi, dooradagondi, duldundi, dula-gondi, duladaama, duladaama teega, dulagondi, durabhigraha, durada gondi, duradagondi, durda gondi, dusparsha, ekta, etka, gajal bel, gajal-bel, gatrabhavyanga, gaunch, gaunchhi, gaungi, ginipus-wel, gonca, goncha, guptaaphala, guptaphala, hasaguni, hub-i-qilqil, ilika, itika, kaadakare, kaadavare, kaajkuhilee, kabachchu, kach-kori, kacchura, kachhumati, kachhura, kadavare, kadavarti, kandukari, kandura, kanduri, kannach, kantch, kapi kachchu, kapikacchu, kapikacchuh, kapikachchhu, kapikachhu, kapikachliu, kapikatchu, kapiprabha, kapiromaphala, kashiroma, kauch, kauch beej kala chota, kaucha, kaunc, kaunch, kaunch beej, kaunch beej black, kaunch beej chitkabra, kavach, kavach beej, kavach beej kala, kavach beej safed, kavach beej kala, kavach beej safed, kavach black, kavacha, kawach beej black, kawach kala, kawcha sufed, kawcha black, kewach, kewanch, khag-khiri, khaj-kujlee, khajkuri, kivacc, kivachh, kivanchh, kiwach, konch, konch beeja kala, konch beeja safed, konch kala, konch safed, koogari, kueela, kuhili, kundali, kundung, kursa, kusumbivalli, kuyeli, langali, maharshabhilangali, marakate, markata, markate,markati, murikusa, naasuganni, naayi soanku balli, naayi sonagu balli, naayi sonku, naaykarana, naaykarana veru, nai-corana, naicorana, naicorina, naikkuranam, naikkuruna, naikorana, nakuruna, nasaguni-gida, nasagunni, nasagunni kaayi, nasuganni, nasugunni, nasugunni kaayi, nasukoogari, nasukunni, nauisonagu-balli, nayik-korana, nayikkorana, nayikuruma, nayikuruna, nayisonagu-balli, nayisonaguballi, nayisonangu, nayisonanguballi, naykkorana, naykkurana, naykkuruna, pad-veldi, padveldi, pedda-dulagondi, peeliadagookaila, phandatullai, pilladugu, pilli adugu, pilliadagu, pilliaduga, pilliadugu, pilliyadagu, pilliyadugu, pilludagu kaila, poonai kaali, poonaikkali, poonaykalie, poonikali, pravryshayani, praavrishayani, pravrisha, pravrishayani, punnaikkaali, punnakalichi, rarsabhi, rishabhajata, rishabhi, rishyaprokta, romalu, romavalli, rsabha, rsyaprokta, sadyashotha, shimbi, shukapindi, shukashimba, shukavati, sugupta, sukasimbi, svagupta, svayamgupta, svayangupta, taumatiyakkoti, tella dradagondi, telladuradagondi, terkali, teruvakkoti, teruvam, theeta kogial, thelladooradagondi, thurachee avare balli, tikshna, tiriparnikam, tita-kogila, totadulagondi, turachi-gida, turaci, turanchi, tureavare, uitema, vanari, vanashukari, varahika, vaseekaramoolam, vatanacan, veppulikam, verukatu, verukatukkoti, vrishya, vyaghra, wakmi, wanduru-me, wel-damiya
in Indonesia: kara benguk, kekara juleh, kowas
in Laos: tam nhè

Malayan names: kacang babi, kachang babi, kekaras gatal
in Nepal: boldong, dhoireti, kabachhu, kauso
in Philippines: sabawel
in Tamil: kantuti, markati, naikurni, poonai kanjori, poonaikali, poonaikkali, poonaykali, punai-k-kali, punai-k-kali vittu, punaikkali, punaippidukkan, punaipputukkan
in Thailand: ba-yuang, cigu, ma-mui, ma-yuang, mamui, mijeh, phlo-yu, sijeh
in Tibetan: banari, kha sral
in Vietnam: d[aaj]u m[ef]o r[uf]ng

Scientific Names (Synonyms)

• Carpogon capitatus Roxb.  
• Carpogon niveus Roxb.
• Carpopogon pruriens (L.) Roxb. 
• Dolichos pruriens L. 
• Marcanthus cochinchinense Lour. 
• Mucuna atropurpurea sensu auct. 
• Mucuna axillaris Baker 
• Mucuna bernieriana Baill. 
• Mucuna cochinchinense (Lour.) A.Chev. 
• Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A.Chev. 
• Mucuna esquirolii H.Lev. 
• Mucuna esquirolii H. Lév. 
• Mucuna luzoniensis Merr. 
• Mucuna lyonii Merr. 
• Mucuna minima Haines 
• Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) DC. 
• Mucuna pruriens var. pruriens   
• Mucuna prurita Wight 
• Mucuna prurita (L.) Hook.
• Mucuna sericophylla Perkins 
• Mucuna velutina Hassk. 
• Negretia mitis Blanco 
• Stizolobium capitatum (Roxb.) Kuntze 
• Stizolobium cochinchinense (Lour.) Burk 
• Stizolobium niveum (Roxb.) Kuntze 
• Stizolobium pruritum (Wight) Piper 
• Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) Piper & Tracy