Mucuna pruriens Extract (L-DOPA)

Mucuna pruriens extract is a seed extract of the tropical legume Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC., the velvet bean, known in Ayurveda as Kapikachhu or Atmagupta. Thovek supplies it as a free-flowing brown powder standardised on L-DOPA by HPLC, most commonly at 10%, 15% and 20%, produced by water or hydro-alcoholic extraction of dehulled, milled seed. Only the seed is used. The pods are discarded, since their trichomes carry mucunain and are a contact irritant that has no place in a food-grade supply chain. L-DOPA, or levodopa, is the naturally occurring amino acid 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-L-alanine (CAS 59-92-7, C9H11NO4, molecular weight 197.19) and the biosynthetic precursor of dopamine in plants and animals. Untreated Mucuna seed carries roughly 3-6% L-DOPA, with published values spanning under 1% to 7%, so any standardised grade is a genuine concentrate rather than milled seed. Independent surveys of retail products claiming 15% to 98% L-DOPA have repeatedly found declared figures that do not match assay, and grades far above the botanical ceiling can only be reached by intensive concentration or by adding synthesised material. Thovek states the extraction route and the assayed value for every lot, and material sold as botanical extract is not spiked. Because L-DOPA is light and air sensitive and oxidises to coloured quinones when moist, lots ship in sealed opaque liners, with nitrogen flushing standard on higher-assay grades. The material is a vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free legume extract with no milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean or tree-nut content and no animal-derived processing aids. Regulatory status differs sharply by market: Mucuna is a long-established Ayurvedic seed in India, whereas in the EU preparations without a significant history of consumption before 15 May 1997 fall under the novel food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, and Italy does not permit Mucuna in food supplements at all. Buyers should confirm permitted-botanical status, dosage and labelling constraints for each destination before formulating. Thovek makes no therapeutic or disease claim for this ingredient. Every shipment travels with a batch certificate of analysis covering HPLC assay, heavy metals, pesticides, residual solvents and microbiology, together with allergen, non-GMO and BSE/TSE statements.