Sanskrit Name: कपिकच्छु (Kapikacchu)

Botanical name: Mucuna pruriens Hook.

Family: Fabaceae

English name: Common cow-hage 

Malayalam name: നായ്ക്കുറണ

Distribution: Throughout India among hedges and bushes. 

Part used: seeds, root, hairs

Properties: Aphrodisiac, nootropic, nervine, spermatogenic, anti-parkinsonian, neuroprotective. 

Useful in: Sexual dysfunctions, parkinsonism, senile demensia, amenorrhea, depression, anxiety, neurological disorders.

Research Updates:

1. Katzenschlager, R et al. “Mucuna pruriens in Parkinson’s disease: a double blind clinical and pharmacological study.” Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatryvol. 75,12 (2004): 1672-7. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.028761

2. Manjunath, A., Vasappa, R.K. & Bangeppagari, M. Neuroprotective effects of Kapikachhu (Mucuna pruriens) in a paraquat-induced zebrafish model of neurotoxicity relevant to Parkinson’s disease. JoBAZ 86, 40 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41936-025-00461-6